


Sing a Blessing of Marine Snow

by pink_cloud



Series: suju fantasy au [1]
Category: Super Junior
Genre: Lonely Old Men, M/M, centaur!siwon, dragon!heechul, dragon!hyuk, elf!shindong, eunhyuk is gay panic, fairy!kry, lee dumbhae, lee dumbhyuk, merman!donghae, not the fandom the creature, sea god!teuk, slight 83line angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2020-11-27 12:49:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20948612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pink_cloud/pseuds/pink_cloud
Summary: For thousands of years, the sea god Leeteuk found himself alone with only a merman beside him. He knew only of the world and rules over its waters, but little did he know it would take something a little different to light a fire in him he forgot he ever had.Old title: I Think I Need a Guy (like you), but with all the other works in the AU incorporated into one.Title came from “Deep Sea Girl” by Yuuyu-P, sung by Hatsune Miku.





	1. prologue: sapphire waves

The young man’s body floated in the deep blue water. It moved where the waves took it, no matter how rough or how gentle.

The water was gentle with him, though. 

There was something about this young man. It was too soon for him. He still had a whole life ahead of him, and yet here he was, lonely and lifeless, with only the ocean for companion until he ultimately disappears.

As the light slowly lit up the infinite waters, changing it to a lovely shade of glittering sapphire, the floating figure became even more apparent.

Though supposedly nothing more than another plaything for the ocean currents, he was somehow beautiful. The way the man’s body refused to further sink, or to rise towards the surface, but instead hovered indefinitely in its strange new world, provided a breathtaking sight.

He was floating face up, but his back was arched ever so slightly. His arms hung beside him, and his long legs stretched out below, seemingly reaching for the bottomless depths, with one knee slightly bent.

His face, however, was what made the picture as gorgeous as it was.

Stretching back almost like a swan was a long neck, vulnerable and oh, so graceful. The position perfectly showed off his sharp, but not strong, jawline, which was only the beginning of the exquisite features of his face. In his rest, the man’s expression was that of utmost peace and content, but one cannot help but wonder what kinds of torment lay beneath. Perhaps this was how he was in life, as well?

He would have looked even more beautiful had he been smiling, but those small, pink lips were only closed and solemn, making one wonder what sounds used to come from them. One wonders what his smile was like, how brightly it shone, and how often it was seen. What did his laugh sound like? Was it light and melodious, or maybe it was something completely unexpected? And what of his speech? One must imagine that from such a sophisticated figure came tremendous poise and control, or a voice so charismatic it could melt even the coldest of hearts.

But maybe it didn’t, couldn’t, reach those harsh, icy hearts, for people are often cruel.

Below the close eyes with a hint of tired dark circles, was a prominent, but incredibly elegant pair of cheekbones, which, along with the slanting jawline, gave the man’s face an almost feminine look. In fact, upon closer inspection, one can even say this sleeping person’s face appears quite genderless.

And, indeed, could he have been mistaken for a maiden of the depths, for his shoulder-length hair moved as if it itself was an ocean wave. It fell freely over his face, and danced in the water as the ever-changing sea moved. Indeed was it a wave like any other.

How unfortunate it was that such a creature came to an untimely end, for not only was the ill-fated human lovely, one could tell that in life this was a powerful, dignified, and, most importantly, kind man.

The tiredness that his face so subtly hinted at suggested a man who cared so much for others he often forgot about himself. A man who would try so hard to do well, forgetting that he himself was important, too. What if that was, in fact, what led him here, to this faraway place, now?

The ocean felt pity for this young man, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. For, stronger than pity, the powerful ocean felt immense admiration for this relentless who possessed the hidden strength and passion to fight his battles to the very end. The never-ending, ceaseless ocean could hardly believe it would ever meet something more resilient and persistent, yet here he was. The waves thought they danced so beautifully, but were awestruck at this unknown man, who was so effortlessly elegant, even if he was no more.

A temperament like water and the grace of the sea, the ocean decided to bring to this young man a new life. A life where he would spend his days in the depths however he pleased, or go up to the shallows and swim up to shore to watch the world he had left behind. He will have freedom, but also responsibility, as he will watch over the great world below the surface with the love of a mother for her children. He might even find companionship, people for him to love and who love him just as much. He might one day not be so lonely anymore, the ocean hoped.

And so, reborn with a crown of flowing sapphire hair, Park Jungsoo awoke with a new life, and a new name.

With his new powers, he became the ocean’s special one, the one now known as Leeteuk.


	2. good meal for a good meal

“Teuk-hyung!” 

“Hyung, it’s almost midday already, let’s go!,” came the familiar voice as the sound of a scaled hand rapping on his door continues.

Ah, yes, he’s here.

Leeteuk goes to open the door for his guest, revealing a fearsome, but actually quite endearing, creature. 

“Calm down, Donghae, we’ve got a lot of time,” Leeteuk laughs at the merman, causing him to pout a bit before letting himself into the house.

“You promised you would take me for some land food today. You _know _we need to go early so I can have time to dry off but it’s almost lunchtime already and we’re still here,” Donghae sulks, freely swimming around Leeteuk’s house to examine everything as if it was his own place. Ah, well it is sort of Donghae’s house at this point anyway.

As a merman, Donghae is covered in hard scales in various midnight shades from head to toe, with gills on the sides of ribs and fins protecting his sensitive ears. His arms end in two talons, as strong as those of an eagle’s, perfectly designed for combat. In place of legs is a long, powerful tail - few things, Leeteuk thinks, are more wonderful to watch than Donghae gliding through the water with that tail. His eyes, however, are bright and light blue, and betrays all the innocence his menacing exterior hides. Anyone who actually knows Donghae loves him and treats him like a younger brother, or even son. This is the reason why, despite their appearances, Leeteuk is actually the protector in the pair of them.

Leeteuk isn’t technically allowed to pick favourites, but it’s definitely Donghae. Either way, he made the merman a promise, and now he must keep that promise.

“Come on, hyung, I didn’t eat breakfast so I can eat a lot later,” Donghae complains.

The thought of his dongsaeng being hungry immediately activates the sea god’s motherly instincts, so he quickly gets ready and they leave together, Donghae happily smiling and humming.

When they arrive at the surface, they find a secluded place for Donghae to begin drying off and transform into his human form. Leeteuk aids the process by slowly drying the merman with his magic, being careful not to go too rapidly that the transformation would hurt Donghae.

Gradually, all of the dark scales disappear to reveal smooth skin stretched taut over prominent muscles. Outside the water, Donghae’s tail becomes two legs, and he slowly begins to stand and get used to them.

After the now-human merman becomes accustomed to his body and is dressed in the land clothes they brought, the pair head to the restaurant Leeteuk chose for the day. He chose a steakhouse, since Donghae wants to not eat fish for a change. Also apparently steak is somewhat healthy, according to the fit merman.

Fortunately, although technically a public figure, Leeteuk isn’t actually that recognisable due to him constantly minimising his appearances, choosing instead to mostly work behind the scenes. This allows him and Donghae the opportunity to be able to sit down in the cozy restaurant and have a nice lunch together.

Donghae is visibly excited as he scans the fancy menu, but then, all of a sudden, his face falls.

“Umm,...hyung. I have no idea what any of this means...Oh, also please do the talking since...well, I’m not too comfortable with land speech anyway,” he says awkwardly, blushing a bit.

Leeteuk’s heart melts a bit, and he comforts the younger man as he readily agrees, and also chooses Donghae’s order for him based on his extensive knowledge of the merman’s tastes. 

Since Leeteuk always eats quite a bit and Donghae is extra hungry today, they enjoy a hearty meal together.

As Donghae digs into his gorgeous medium-rare steak, he suddenly asks,

“Hyung, do you think maybe we can find love up here?,” he says, stuffing some food into his mouth.

“You mean romantic love? You don’t think you can find that in the sea?,” Leeteuk asks, eating more slowly.

“Yeah, romantic love!,” Donghae responds excitedly. “I don’t know, hyung, I just really can’t seem to get into anyone underwater. I don’t know if it’s the culture or something but I just don’t feel compatible with anyone?,” he ponders.

The sea god hums in thought. In terms of relationship advice, it’s not like he has any to give. They are both equally single.

“Maybe you should explore your options more, then. Come up here a little more often and have a look around,” Leeteuk says. “Maybe you’ll find yourself a fairy or a centaur one day,” Leeteuk half-jokes.

Donghae blushes, thinking the suggestion over. Then, full of curiosity, he asks,

“How about you, hyung?”

“How about me?”

“Yeah, do you think you can find love here?,” Donghae asks, as if it’s the most obvious thought in the world.

Leeteuk always marvels at Donghae’s childlike innocence, but especially the peculiar wisdom that comes with it. The merman doesn’t need to question whether or not Leeteuk wants someone to love - he just knows, and so he simply wonders how his hyung will go about it. He also doesn’t question whether or not Leeteuk _can _find love. His question is just where. Somehow, Leeteuk knows that Donghae is perfectly aware of just how lonely the sea god is... 

Snapping himself out of those thoughts of Donghae’s fascinating mind, Leeteuk responds,

“I haven’t had much luck on that front, as you can see,” he laughs. “I haven’t found anyone I really like, either, and if I were to settle down with someone, I want them to be very right for me. I want a real, long-lasting relationship. It sounds corny but I want to find true love, if that makes sense,” he says thoughtfully, cutting himself another piece of steak as he finishes.

Donghae smiles brightly at that.

“Me, too!,” he beams.

After that, they continue their peaceful meal with casual chatter about whatever came to their minds. They spent a good few hours at the steakhouse, just eating and chatting, then finally leaving happy and full.

They took their time getting back to give their stomachs time to digest all the food, then at last part ways when they reach the depths of the ocean, Donghae now fully reverted back to merman form. Changing into a simple set of pyjamas after greeting Koongie, Leeteuk decides to spend the rest of his day off just relaxing in bed. Quite out of character for him, really, but he does want to have a few moments to himself to think about everything.

About what Donghae said.

The merman’s assumptions are correct, of course. Leeteuk desperately wants someone to love. He has wanted that since...since before he became what he is today. He has longed for love ever since he was...Park Jungsoo.

Maybe Donghae’s right. Perhaps one day, on land, Leeteuk might finally find the right person. He sighs at the thought.

Honestly, though, what are the chances?


	3. for the moon by the sea

Ever since the day of the steak lunch, Donghae has listened to Teuk-hyung’s advice to go up to the surface more often. Since he still doesn’t have the courage to transform and explore land alone, he usually just watches from a rock or some kind of lookout. It’s fun, but it does get a bit boring after a while, since it’s just people going about their daily business, nothing interesting. Also, there is no way he is going to find a partner like this...

After a few weeks, Donghae is finally able to come a bit closer to shore - close enough that someone who was looking would be able to spot him. He chose a small, but not too isolated, beach where only a handful of people visit every day, planning to get himself accustomed to spending time within close proximity of land creatures. 

It’s a clear, sunny day, with a nice, light breeze in the air. Perfect for relaxing. You can never get this kind of thing under the sea, Donghae thinks, as he basks in the sun and relishes in the comforting feeling of the warm rock he’s lying on top of. The wind and heat slowly dries him, but Donghae doesn’t mind for once, since the protective scales disappearing means his skin can finally come into contact with his perch, allowing him to feel the heated surface even better. 

Without knowing it and with a happy, dopey smile on his face, the merman dozes off under the sun.

_“Hyukjae, you wuss, just give the beach a go, will you?,” _his friends had said.

Okay, Heechul-hyung had said.

Hyukjae tried to protest by arguing that, look, as a creature of fire, he is not extremely comfortable with the water, especially not the ocean, of all things. Sure, there are water dragons, too, but he is definitely not one of them. But then Heechul argued that _he _isn’t a water dragon, either, but he’s perfectly fine with the water, which Hyukjae doubts because he never sees Heechul so much as go near a body of water, but it’s not like he can argue against the Universe Superstar ™. He isn’t even an actual superstar he’s just a really powerful dragon… and a major diva.

Either way, Hyukjae is now at this small, secluded beach against his will, tasked with a list of objectives in increasing order of difficulty, to be documented through video and photos. Heechul would have gone with him to supervise the trial himself, but he’s “busy”. Hyukjae has an inkling he just wants the younger dragon to struggle alone.

First on the list: build a sandcastle.

Ok, that’s easy enough, he doesn’t even have to touch the water. Since Hyukjae just wants to get this over and done with, he builds a low-effort, very basic sand “castle”, which he then took a picture of on his phone.

Second: stand near the water and let the wave wet your feet. Can do.

Third: Get changed and go for a brief swi- well, that escalated quickly. Maybe he can cheat, though, since it’s not like he can bring his phone underwater. “Afterwards, take a photo of yourself in swim gear and wet from head to toe.”

Oh, never mind. Hyukjae _does _have a motivating factor, though, and that is that Heechul promised he would treat Hyukjae to an all-you-can-eat dinner. But the _real _prize, Hyukjae thinks, is that Heechul would leave him alone, which is infinitely more valuable.

Fourth: Swim out as far as you can and explore the beach!

Fuck you, Heechul. 

The list ends there, but,...so there _is _quite a bit of a challenge, as expected from the Superstar himself, but Hyukjae is determined to overcome it for the sake of his currently-fragile pride. Taking in a deep breath after getting changed, he prepares to begin wading into the water. Heechul _knows _he can’t swim that well but here we are, trying to stay afloat in _moving _water, because why not?

Eventually, after what feels like forever, the water reaches Hyukjae’s waist, and he refuses to go any further as his courage runs out. At long last, he looks up to examine is surroundings and “explore” the beach, as Heechul ordered. Not really expecting anything from the scenery, Hyukjae is met with a surprise in the form of a large rock, not even five metres away. But it wasn’t so much the rock that caught his attention as what is on it…

Happily napping and sunbathing on top of the rock is...a merman. Hyukjae’s never seen a merperson in real life before, but this one looks nothing like how he knows merpeople look. Everyone knows the deep sea-dwelling race of creatures have fierce, armoured bodies with sharp talons for hands and tails strong enough to snap your spine in half if they were to hit you with it, but this merman looks exactly like the one from those romantic fairy tales: human for the upper half, and a fish tail for the rest.

Well, almost.

The sight freezes Hyukjae where he stood as he stares on, awestruck. Hyukjae knows that on land, merpeople take on a completely human form, and that is what he believes is happening to the merman in front of him, but the process is not quite done yet. 

The merman’s head and face is currently that of a human’s, and a very handsome one at that, with gorgeous features and thin lips curved into a small, peaceful smile. The skin of his (very muscular) chest is exposed, but lower down, scales start to appear, scattering across his midriff, then gradually growing thicker and thicker, creating a beautiful gradient leading to his long, glittering tail. Even the tail, however, is not completely as Hyukjae expected, for against the deep blue and green scales is the faint outline of legs beginning to appear.

Based on this, Hyukjae guesses the merman has been here for awhile and that the sun has dried him off somewhat, allowing for the transformation. As he’s busy pondering these thoughts, he almost misses the subject of his fascination slowly opening his eyes, rising from his afternoon slumber.

Then, as the half-fish(?) notices someone is watching him, his eyes suddenly fly open and he goes into full alert mode, pushing himself up on his arms and partially sliding himself back into the water as if to escape before stopping to assess the situation. Leaning forward a bit to get a better look at his guest, he asks,

“Who are you?,”

He has a bit of an accent, which Hyukjae guesses is from his sea language. He finds the voice very endearing. Though equally startled, Hyukjae forces himself to stay composed and to keep up the conversation.

“My name is Hyukjae, and you are…?,”

No response. 

Then, “Hyukjae…,” the merman repeats contemplatively. “I’m Donghae,” he provides somewhat robotically, as if he’s not very used to speaking.

At that, Hyukjae smiles,

“Donghae, as in the East Sea? That’s a very fitting name for a merman,” he praises, and feels his heart bubble with joy as he sees Donghae visibly relax.

“That’s right! I was named for the East Sea! I don’t know why, though… My father and grandfather just chose it,...” he pouts, furrowing his eyebrows a bit as he tries to analyse his own name.

Not to say Hyukjae might have a crush on a random merman he just met, but Hyukjae has a crush on a random merman he just met.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Donghae,” he says, taking a step closer, having forgotten all about his fear of water.

Before he can come any closer, though, Donghae jumps and intercepts him,

“Wait, no, please don’t come any closer! Please don’t hurt me,” he exclaims, suddenly a bit panicked.

Hyukjae is taken aback, but stays where he is.

“Why would I want to hurt you?,” he asks, puzzled.

“You’re a dragon. You can dry me out, and then I’d be helpless…,” Donghae says softly, and Hyukjae’s heart explodes as he gets strangely flustered.

“Oh, um, right, I’m a dragon… I won’t do anything to you, though, I promise! Plus, we’re...in your domain right now, so you can argue that you have the upper hand…,” he mumbles.

His rambling is interrupted by the sound of Donghae’s giggle.

“You’re right. That does make me wonder, though,” he pauses to giggle again. “What are you doing at a beach, and in the water, too? Land dragons don’t like water, do they?,” he continues amusedly, curiously.

Ah, there it is. Hyukjae almost forgot about that, but he is suddenly reminded of the reason why he’s here in the first place. Normally, he would never give away the full story, but there is a bizarre earnestness and innocence about Donghae, making him feel almost compelled to tell the merman everything about his pathetic struggle to regain his pride. Hyukjae can’t decide if he minds the awkwardness, though, because the tragic story earns him some more _adorable _giggles from his listener that are honestly worth all the embarrassment and more.

After Donghae regains his composure and Hyukjae stops blushing like an idiot (he hopes the merman doesn’t notice), he says, without warning,

“I really like you, Hyukjae-ssi. I’ve never talked to any land creatures before, but you’re very funny!,” he says, then stops. He blushes a bit,

“And I think you’re very handsome, as well,” he says, looking down shyly.

No fucking way. 

Hyukjae reels and struggles to process the fact that this _gorgeous _merman just called him, Anchovy Hyukjae-whose-bare-face-must-never-appear-in-public-or-he-will-be-disowned-by-everyone-he-knows, _handsome _, no, _very handsome _. He desperately tries to think of something to say back, and, of course, fails miserably, for he is a problematic man

“Uhm, I think you’re really handsome, too,” he mumbles, like a fucking middle schooler.

Fortunately for the dragon, the merman is somehow appreciative of this statement, and Hyukjae is greeted by a smile brighter than any fire he could ever produce.

“I would like to see you again, Hyukjae! When can we meet again?,” he asks sincerely.

Donghae...never asked Hyukjae if _he _wanted them to meet again, or if he likes Donghae, or enjoyed their conversation. He just...knew?

“I would like that...” he says sheepishly and, okay, where did all his social skills go? “How about on this beach, same time next week? But closer to shore so I can...not get wet?,” he smiles apologetically.

Donghae laughs, colouring Hyukjae’s already-red ears even redder.

“Yes, please!,” he laughs some more. Then, he simply smiles and looks at Hyukjae.

And Hyukjae looks at him back, suddenly fully absorbed in the merman’s beautiful, wide, glittering blue eyes, so naïve and childlike they seem to be telling every ounce of his being to hold Donghae and protect him. They stay that way for who knows how long, until Donghae slowly breaks eye contact by gently closing his eyes, bowing his head.

Slowly, quietly, he says,

“I believe I must go, now, Hyukjae. It was very lovely meeting you. I will see you next week, my dragon friend,” and he smiles again, sweeter than any song, and gracefully slips back into the water, disappearing without a trace. Only a flicker of the end of his tail above the water’s surface indicates to Hyukjae that his newfound friend has swam away.

For what feels like an eternity after Donghae is gone, Hyukjae stares on in wonder, still unable to comprehend what just happened. Having entirely forgotten about Heechul’s challenge now, he wades back to shore and goes home in a trance-like state.

For the rest of the day, he cannot rid himself of the image of Donghae. Donghae the merman and his wonderful smile and glittering eyes, eyes so bright Hyukjae almost missed the rest of the merman just by looking at them.

Almost… Because he genuinely hopes Donghae didn’t notice the dragon checking him and his incredibly muscular body out. Hyukjae blushes for what must be the millionth time today, and buries his face in his pillow as he desperately tries to hide the stupid, idiotic smile on his face and the even more stupid giggles he’s letting out.

_Donghae _, he thinks, feeling his heart flutter. _I’ll see you next week _.


	4. for the moon by the sea pt. 2

_“I’ll see you next week, my dragon friend,” _Donghae had said in his accent and slightly-stilted speech.

So here Hyukjae is again at the little secluded beach, a week after their encounter, anxiously pacing the sand. He’s both nervous and excited, but also worried to death. His mind keeps nagging him and wondering what if Donghae doesn’t show up. Maybe he’s suddenly busy. Or he forgot. Or he was just pulling Hyukjae’s leg. Or he just has better things to do. Or he realised Hyukjae is actually a loser and changed his mind about meeting him. Or, or-

And so continues Hyukjae’s anxious spiral of self-consciousness as he descends deeper into his depressing Donghaeless world. Exhausted, he finally plops down onto the sand, burying his feet in its warmth and clawing at the smooth grains with his hand. In his sudden intense concentration on the growing sand hole he’s digging, Hyukjae fails to notice the movement of a figure towards shore, then rising up and breaking the water when it gets close enough.

Donghae smiles at the sight of the familiar blonde head he’d been scared he wouldn’t see as he feels relief wash over him. He feels as if a bubble just rose up in his chest for some reason.

“Hyukjae, you’re here!,” Hyukjae hears a familiarly awkward voice exclaim happily and snaps his neck up a little too fast.

He expects to see the handsome face he met a week ago, and so almost gets a heart attack at the deadly-looking figure in front of him. Well, the face is still there, but it’s dotted with scales and his ears are protected by fins. As the cherry on top, the arms holding the merman out of the water are fully covered in armored scales, and are those talons he see just below the surface of the water…?

“Donghae, is that you?,” he asks, surprise and panic mixing with his excitement.

At that, Donghae innocently cocks his head to the side, face taking on a perplexed expression.

“Yes, it’s me, Hyukjae. Do you not recognise me?,” he asks, confused and disappointed.

Still struggling to recover from the initial shock, Hyukjae immediately tries to find a suitable response when he suddenly sees the merman’s eyes glitter as if he’s about a cry (apparently merfolk can cry like land folk?). 

“Wh- no, Donghae- no, of course I remember you-,” the tears continue to well up in the blue eyes. Hyukjae panics as his heart screams at him to go hold Donghae but his body’s survival instincts tell him to _stay away from those really-sharp claws _.

“No, no Donghae don’t cry! You look different from-from last week that’s why I was surprised isn’t it a merfolk thing that you change forms a-...and stuff…?,” he rambles, dropping off as he runs out of things to say.

Donghae looks up at that, realisation setting upon him.

“Oh…,” he sniffs. “Oh, right,...”

Okay, Donghae, and everyone who knows him, knows he’s very emotional and a bit of a crybaby. But that was a bit much, even by Donghae’s standards. He didn’t expect the strange sinking feeling that threatened to completely burst his bubble of hopeful joy when he saw Hyukjae, and the tears just came…

And he completely forgot about his form-changing and the fact that he did not look like this when they first met.

“Um...I’m sorry, Hyukjae,” he says, embarrassed. “I...forgot.”

He has a visible blush even with the scales on his face. _Oh, not again _, the dragon thinks as he feels his heart do the skipping thing again.

“No, that’s alright!,” he quickly laughs, all eloquence once again gone. Just when he’s about to stutter out something else, Donghae beams and all words die on his tongue. Why is this conversation so dysfunctional… 

But Donghae doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’m so glad! Thank you, Hyukjae! You see, I don’t talk to many people often so it’s a bit difficult for me,” Donghae cutely explains. Then, a thought occurs to him and he warily squints at his dragon companion. After a moment’s pondering, he slowly asks.

“The thing is, I want to come closer to you. But you don’t like water. And I don’t know if you’ll hurt me if I come closer to shore… You are nice but I’ve heard dragons can be mean. A lot of merfolk speak badly of you…,” he anxiously says. “You won’t hurt me, will you? Because we’re friends?”

Hyukjae’s poor brain short-circuits as it struggles to process such innocence and naïveté on such a fearsome-looking creature. It’s like seeing Heechul respect a royal. Only wholesome Donghae actually makes sense. Hyukjae decides to interrupt this line of thought before he confuses himself even further.

“No, of course not! I would never hurt you. Oh, jeez, is our reputation really that bad. I’m so sorry,” his face heats up with shame. And also a bit of annoyance at his kind potentially ruining his chance with the merm- wait no he doesn’t like Donghae like that, does he?

Evidently not needing any more promising from Hyukjae, Donghae effortlessly lifts himself out of the water and twists around to have his tail out in front of him in the very shallows of the beach. He extends his arms behind him to hold his torso up, and playfully flicks his tail as he contently eyes the transfixed dragon. He doesn’t realise that this is the first time Hyukjae is properly getting to see his body and tail, and so doesn’t quite register what the big deal is given the land creature’s fascination.

After a few seconds in which Hyukjae just wordlessly stares on, eyes wide, Donghae finally decides to voice his concern.

“...Is there something wrong with my tail?,” he asks, leaning forward to examine the tail himself.

Hyukjae doesn’t react as his brain fails to recognise the question.

“So pretty...shiny,” he whispers under his breath.

“I’m sorry what was that? I couldn’t hear,” Donghae furrows his brows in confusion.

This finally catches Hyukjae’s attention and snaps him out of it. The moment the dragon realises what just happened, his face immediately turns a brilliant shade of red.

Now reminiscent of a ripe tomato, Hyukjae says,

“Oh my goodness, I am so so sorry. Oh my god,” and he turns away from Donghae, wishing more than ever to bury himself in the little sand hole he dug. Taking a deep breath, he calms himself down enough for an explanation,

“You see, Donghae, we dragons have an...affinity...for shiny and valuable things. We have a habit of hoarding things like jewelry and gold and stuff like that. Basically, your tail is very shiny and pretty and...I am so sorry for not being able to keep my instincts in check…,” he says, still not daring to look at Donghae.

Apparently, Donghae doesn’t hear the final part because he immediately perks up at Hyukjae’s mention of his tail. With an excited gasp, he exclaims,

“You think my tail is pretty? Hyukjae, do you like my tail? Oh, I’m so happy!,” he practically squeals, then endearingly runs his hand over the tail which he loves very much, humming happily.

Hyukjae thanks all ancestors he dislikes for Donghae’s innocent obliviousness. He would never have a chance with another dragon or anything with even an ounce of judgement, but it appears the merman is much too nice for that. He smiles, back to admiring the sparkly tail now that he’s basically been given permission to.

“Yeah, I do like it a lot,” he compliments again, causing Donghae to flick the tail a bit in thanks.

After a pleasant moment, Donghae once again breaks the silence,

“Say, Hyukjae. I heard you dragons have tails too, right? And wings! Can you show me your wings and tail sometime? I’m sure they’re really really beautiful,” he says dreamily, eyes glazing over a bit as he tries to imagine the dragon’s magnificence. Hyukjae hopes to not disappoint him, and is for once glad of his royal status.

“Of course! I’m not sure how pretty they are, but you can decide for yourself,” he laughs. “It might be getting a bit late today, though, so maybe next time?,” he frowns when he notices the time.

Donghae turns to look at the sky, pouting when he sees the sun setting.

“Aww, you’re right. When can we meet again, then?,” he asks.

“Is there a way we can stay in touch? Do you have Landing?,” he pulls out his phone to open the app.

“No, is that the SNS you use on land? I only have Seanet.”

Hyukjae barely takes a moment to think before deciding,

“Guess I’ll have to get Seanet, then!,” he announces.

Donghae smiles widely, then tells Hyukjae his handle.

They part ways with promises to text as soon as they arrive home. Hyukjae downloads the Seanet app on the way back and immediately starts setting up his account the moment he steps through the door, then clicks on Donghae’s “add friend” button with a loudly-beating heart. He opens the messaging app.

**eunhyukee: **hi donghae

The butterflies in his chest go haywire as Donghae immediately sees the message, the app displaying “Typing…” a split second later.

**leedonghae: **hyukjae! :D


	5. talkative donghae(?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghae has something to tell his adoptive "father". And it cannot wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meet Leeteuk the sea god. Check out "Sapphire Waves" (the first work in this series) for a some of his story.  
edit: added chapter art by ks__log!

Leeteuk is awoken by the sound of high-pitched barking.

The next thing he knows, he’s almost smacked in the face by a white tail flying past, leaving in its wake a trail of bubbles. 

“Koongie-ah, what’s the matter?,” he sleepily asks his precious merdog. And then there it is. The source of the commotion.

_ Knock knock knock. _

_ Arf arf!_

_ _

Ever the loyal dog, Shimkoong continues to diligently bark at the intruder who she believes is harassing her dad, only for said intruder to turn to her and, enthusiastically but still careful not to hurt her, sweep her up into his arms for a cuddle, effectively stunning the small merdog into silence.

After a moment in which the father-and-daughter pair exchange confused looks, Leeteuk speaks what is on their minds.

“Good morning, Donghae-ah. What’s put you in such a good mood today?,” he asks, pleasant and friendly as always. Handing Shimkoong back to her owner, Donghae responds.

“Oh, Teukie-hyung, do you remember when we went out for the steak lunch on land?,” he asks, inviting himself to lounge on Teuk’s plush furniture. When Leeteuk nods, he excitedly continues.

“Well, I did what you told me to and started going up on land! I didn’t go too close, though, because I wasn’t sure what to do, but then one day, I accidentally fell asleep on this rock that was sort of close to this little beach, and then I woke up, there was a dragon!,”

Donghae dashed through the story, speaking more quickly and confidently than he ever does, which only further adds to Leeteuk’s confusion. Before he can ask about the...dragon?...Donghae answers the question for him.

“And the dragon, his name was Hyukjae, and he is so funny and handsome, even though people keep saying dragons are mean. Are dragons really mean, hyung, because Hyukjae is so nice?,” Donghae ponders, pouting.

Leeteuk jolts a bit when he realises the merman just asked him a question. He supposes he should know the answer to questions like these.

“Well, um, I’ve met dragons before, yes, and I don’t think they’re as terrible as some people down here make them out to be, but they aren’t exactly the friendliest? Your friend Hyukjae sounds lovely, though,” he says, admittedly a bit dumbly, because as much as he is a thousand-year-old sea god, he is not very used to a talkative Donghae. And Donghae befriending strangers. Specifically strangers who are apparently dragons.

Sensing how perplexed his hyung is, Donghae bursts out laughing, which dissolves in a series of giggles. Leeteuk must admit that it is very nice to see the merman so happy. The mood fits him. Donghae decides continuing the story would alleviate Leeteuk’s bewilderment.

“We decided to meet again a week later, and he actually showed up!,” Donghae says, a little more slowly to allow the sea god, who is now stroking his dog, to catch up. Suddenly, Donghae pauses and blushes, smiling wistfully and almost giddily. “Then, he said my tail is pretty.”

Almost before he finishes the sentence, Donghae tackles Leeteuk again, this time from the side to avoid Shimkoong, who promptly leaps out of her owner’s arms and swims away.

“And then we exchanged contacts. He didn’t have Seanet but he downloaded it just so we could talk! And we’ve been talking every day since,” Donghae says with all the joy in the world, still hugging Leeteuk tightly.

After that burst of excitement, Donghae is content to just hum happily while holding his Teuk-hyung and thinking about how amazing Hyukjae is and how he can’t wait for them to meet again. Leeteuk uses this opportunity to get his thoughts in order, and manages to properly respond to the merman after a moment.

“Hae-ah, so you’ve ended up making a friend on land? And he is a dragon, yes?,” he says slowly, earning a cheery “mmhm!” in response. Wrapping an arm around Donghae’s shoulders, he continues.

“You obviously like Hyukjae very much. Can you tell me what is it about him that makes you so fond of him? I’m curious,” he decides to ask, smiling. He is not quite aware of the fact that he looks a bit like a proud mother duck watching her ducklings grow up.

Donghae thinks for a bit, then says.

“He’s really nice. I think he’s a bit shy but I find that really cute, actually. Also, everyone knows I’m not that good at talking, so I love that Hyukjae doesn’t seem to mind.”

At Donghae’s sincerity, Leeteuk feels his heart warm. But he also feels a twinge of longing - longing to feel what the merman is feeling. It’s been so long since he last loved, or was loved, in that way. He longs to feel the butterflies in his stomach, or the blush climb up his face, or the tender admiration every time he sets eyes on another person. Ah, well, it’s alright, Leeteuk thinks. He should focus on being happy for Donghae. 

“Teukie-hyung,” Donghae says quietly, gently jostling Leeteuk out of his train of thought.

“Yes, Hae?”

“I want you to meet Hyukjae. I’m going to ask him about it, but can I introduce him to you someday?,” Donghae asks hopefully, and slightly nervously. The sea god feels his heart get seized by the feeling after which he named Shimkoong.

“Oh, Donghae, if he’s okay with it, I would be more than happy to meet your friend. I’m so glad you’ve found someone you like so much,” he smiles, finally properly returning the merman’s hug. Leeteuk knows he shouldn’t feel sad that Donghae might have found his special someone, but he can’t help wishing it was himself instead. No, he should be happy. 

_ This is okay _, Leeteuk tells himself, as he always has for years and years. 

It’s okay. He’s okay. After all, he has to be, doesn’t he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended angstier than I expected. Just 83-line things, I suppose. Thanks for reading!


	6. wings, tail, and insecurity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyukjae finally gets around to acting on his promise from the other day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff!

“Hey, Hyukjae,” 

Hyukjae didn’t hear him.

“Hey, Hyukjae,” 

From staring off into space, the dragon’s head snaps back, alert, as he finally hears the gentle, somewhat deep voice calling him.

“Sorry. What is it?,” he asks, still a bit absent-mindedly.

Donghae rests his head on his hand, tilting it a bit as he looks at his companion curiously.

“What are you thinking, Hyukjae?,” he asks innocently.

Donghae’s always very forward, Hyukjae has learned. It’s...childlike. Honest and refreshing. Hyukjae wasn’t really raised that way, so it’s nice to meet someone who cares, and who shows it.

“I-,” Hyukjae trails off, remembering what he was actually thinking about. His wings, tail, and horns.

Right.

It’s been a few weeks since their second meeting, when Donghae asked to see his tail and wings. They’ve since met many times and talked a lot, and the subject has always been on Hyukjae’s mind, but he hasn’t really had to courage to bring it up, or worse, to actually complete Donghae’s request. So far, Donghae hasn’t brought it up yet, so Hyukjae’s been banking on the merman either forgetting or not caring about it anymore, but it’s still on his mind and the uncertainty and self-consciousness is killing him.

“Uh…,”

“Is everything okay?,” Donghae asks, concerned, reaching over to put his hand on top of Hyukjae’s. Donghae’s hand is soft. Normal. Talon-less. Hyukjae imagines how it feels covered in scales, and feels guilty all over again.

“Yeah, just…” he takes a deep breath and steels himself. “Remember when you asked me to show you my wings and stuff but it was getting late so we had to go?”

He goes silent again, having run out of confidence for the time being, but Donghae’s face brightens.

“Oh, yeah, of course I do! I was just waiting for whenever you want to show me. Are you gonna show me?,” he asks, hopeful.

“Uh, yeah, yeah I think so,” he says, feeling another wave of self-consciousness. Donghae's going to pick up on his origin. Dragons are already dicks enough, and Hyukjae has finally managed to convince Donghae to stop worrying about him being mean or discriminatory or all of that, but…

“Hyukjae,” Donghae calls. “You tuned out again. Are you sure you’re okay?,” he squeezes the dragon’s hand, worry returning to his face.

After the two seconds required for Hyukjae’s poor brain to process that, he snaps out of his trance and stutters.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Uh...should we go back to the beach, then?,” he offers, that being his default option for an enclosed, private place.

“Okay!,” replies Donghae, already standing up, once again happy and carefree.

Hyukjae cannot, for the life of him, understand the merman. Merman-child. He’d been told merfolk are serious and cynical, but...best not think about it right now.

After a leisurely(-ish) walk in which Hyukjae desperately tries to get his breathing in order while Donghae silently watches him with adoration in his eyes, they finally reach their little beach.

“Alright, um...don’t get your expectations up too much, okay?,” Hyukjae warns Donghae, not looking at the merman and his excited eyes. Donghae only giggles and hugs him.

“I’m sure it’s very pretty, Hyukjae. Please don’t worry so much.”

Hyukjae knows his dragon-ness is beautiful and majestic and whatever other adjectives people use. He’s supposed to be all of these things. Objectively, he knows that Donghae is right about how good he’s going to look, but that’s not the _ point _. Maybe he should stop overthinking things because Donghae never seems to, but it’s not like he can help it after an upbringing of primarily too much to think and worry about.

Ah, well, here goes nothing. Deep breaths, it’s going to be okay. Donghae’s nice, he won’t judge.

“Okay, you might want to stand back a bit…,” he tells his friend and watches longingly as Donghae lets go of the hug. Hyukjae closes his eyes and doesn’t see Donghae’s widening in awe as his wings burst free and his long tail appears, engulfed in flames before the blaze dissolves, leaving the dragon in all his glory. On his head, two horns have also emerged, tall and proud. Certainly prouder than their owner.

“Woah, Hyukjae…,” he opens his eyes to see a face full of wonder. And no hint of fear or submission. This, in turn, causes Hyukjae’s own face to take on an expression of surprise.

“How is it…?,” he asks, quietly.

As he lightly ruffles his wings and swishes his tail in his self-consciousness, his golden scales reflect the afternoon sunlight, glistening like a thousand treasures. In a way, they are just as, or even more, valuable. Between the gold-plated frame of his wings stretches a tough and leathery, but strangely soft, material, and Donghae itches to feel it between his fingers. He wants to touch Hyukjae’s scales, too, because, unlike his own, they don’t even seem...organic. They look like they’re made from some forged metal, like they’re actual, carefully crafted pieces of gold instead of only being coloured that way, and, as a result, actually look a bit more delicate than Donghae’s rough armour.. They’re shaped differently, too, appearing more hexagonal than tear-dropped shaped.

“Wow, Hyukjae...you’re beautiful. You look...you look better than the dragons I’ve seen in pictures and videos. You’re even prettier than how Teukie-hyung describes the dragons he’s met…,” he responds slowly, not able to take his eyes off the sight. He notices Hyukjae blush.

“You really think so?,” he asks tentatively, still skirting around his biggest question.

“Of course! You’re so shy,” Donghae giggles, almost skipping towards him. Okay, literally no one ever does that. 

_ “Do you mind, prince Hyukjae?” _

_ “May I, Your Highness? _

_ “My sincerest apologies for not realising who you were, Your Highness” _

Your Highness this, prince Hyukjae that. Ugh. _ You didn’t realise who I was because I didn’t want you to _ , he always wants to say. _ No, of course I don’t mind, but I do mind that you keep asking me that _ , he’s almost said on multiple occasions. He hates being treated as better than people because he’s really _ not _. But Donghae…

Looking away, he finally asks, quietly, worriedly,

“Donghae, you’re not...you don’t have any...problems? With me?,” 

This causes the merman to pause, not understanding.

“No? Why would I? Hyukjae, is something wrong? You’ve been acting so strange all afternoon,” concern clouds his deep blue eyes.

Hyukjae sighs tiredly, then slumps down onto the sand, grabbing the tip of his tail to fiddle with it. There’s leathery stuff here, too. And some small spikes. The spikes, in addition to the gold colouring, are also a mark of his status.

“Hae, you don’t notice anything...different...about me compared to other dragons? They don’t usually...look like this, actually,” he says sadly, still too scared to look at Donghae. 

Picking up on his friend’s melancholy, Donghae sits down beside him and wraps an arm around his shoulder, above where the wings come out of his back. Hyukjae unconsciously wraps one wing around the merman, returning the gesture. Donghae thinks for a moment, then says.

“Now that you mention it, I’ve never really seen a dragon this colour, I don’t think. Hyung hasn’t told me about anyone looking like this, either. But is there anything wrong with that? I think you’re really pretty, Hyukkie, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he says carefully, smiling.

Hyukjae looks up at the use of the nickname, and, seeing the kindly face, smiles a bit as well.

“No,...that’s not the problem,” he answers, looking down again. “Hae, the reason you’ve never seen dragons this colour, is because...only dragon royalty look like this. We, dragons, I mean, come in all sorts of colours, but gold and amber are unique to royals…,” he mumbles. “I...didn’t want you to know that I’m of royal status,” he sighs, once again playing with his tail.

“Oh…,” Donghae responds, simply, and Hyukjae’s heart drops. He’s probably so disappointed. He fully expects Donghae to move away, or apologise, or just straight up leave while thinking up some awkward, polite excuse, but he doesn’t expect the tight hug, all strong arms and love and caring and...tears?

“Hyukjae, I don’t know what it means for you to be royalty, and I didn’t know anything about your appearance being a sign of that, or anything to do with...with dragon status or whatever. But I don’t care, because it has nothing to do with you being my friend. Do people not like you whenever they find out about who you are? Hyukkie, I don’t care because you’re nice and funny and-and,”

Donghae chokes up as tears roll down his cheek and fall on Hyukjae’s shoulder. The dragon freezes in surprise at the heartfelt...speech?, and wraps his own arms around the sobbing Donghae, feeling tears well up in his own eyes.

“Donghae…,” he says, choking up as well. It’s the first time…

“You’re smart and caring and handsome and I don’t care what people say or if they don’t like you. I like you, Hyukkie. And you’re my friend, so please stop worrying,” Donghae sobs, both their tears now falling freely.

“Donghae,” Hyukjae tightens their hug, unable to say anything through the happiness and the sadness and all the feelings he’s going through. So he’s been worried for nothing. This is the first time anyone has ever...not judged him for his royal status. The first time anyone has ever treated him normally, or ignored his golden colour. Hyukjae knows he’s always desperately wanted people to just see him for who he is and not for his title, and even though Heechul exists and does do this, he’s always wanted a bit more acceptance than from just one person. Not able to contain his emotions, he cries and cries as he hugs Donghae, and they stay that way until the sun begins to set and the sky darkens. Only then does Donghae slowly release the hug and look at Hyukjae, and Hyukjae can see from his eyes that he doesn’t see the dragon prince, only the man he befriended one random day on this very beach. He briefly looks at the thin lips that are so close to his own full ones, but he knows that can wait. He now knows Donghae sees him for who he is, and that is so much more than enough.

“I like you, too, Donghae,” he smiles back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got more emotional than I expected. Hope you enjoyed! (I'm so soft for them TT)
> 
> Stream Super Clap.


	7. there are many fish in the sea

“Hyukjae,”

No response…

“Hyukjae!,” Heechul calls again, hitting the phone out of Hyukjae’s hands.

“Gah! What the hell, Heechul?!,” the younger dragon reacts annoyedly.

“You’re having lunch with me, you fucker, stop looking at your phone,” Heechul reprimands. “And smiling like an idiot,” he adds, smirking.

As Heechul expected, the guilty man immediately goes red and hastily hides his phone in his pocket, only to pull it out again at the vibration it emits. As if he has learned nothing, Hyukjae turns on the phone to check the notification, and smiles...like an idiot. Heechul’s smirk grows wider.

Resting his chin on his hand, he slyly asks,

“Who are you texting, prince Hyukjae~?,”

He knows his friend hates the title, but he believes the situation warrants the provocation. Hyukjae looks up from his text to glare at Heechul.

“A friend,” he says curtly.

“You don’t have any friends,” Heechul fires back. They’re both lonely bastards.

“I made a friend,” says Hyukjae stubbornly. At that moment, Heechul catches a glimpse of Hyukjae’s screen and notices the unfamiliar app he’s using.

“Wait, what the hell app is that?,” he says curiously. “Who are you texting?,” he presses, suspicious.

Hyukjae freezes a bit, then slowly looks up, fire in his eyes (almost literally). Mulling it over a bit, decides it would be wise to tell Heechul, sighing in resignation.

“I made a friend at the beach. I’m talking to him on Seanet. Happy?,” he attempts to provide minimal information, which, of course, is all Heechul needs to deduce everything. He mock-gasps.

“Oh, my? Has my dear Hyukjae found love at last? I was wondering if anyone would ever fall for you but seems like you’re better than I thought,” he somewhat-sadistically pokes fun at his dongsaeng. He relishes in Hyukjae’s impressive blush, hand shooting up to shield himself from the impending smack.

“Hey, we’re in public,” he says snarkily, earning him a glare with the force of a storm cloud.

“Honestly, though, Hyukjae, if you’ve actually found someone, I’m happy for you,” Heechul says, and was that a hint of sadness Hyukjae just saw? He decides to ignore it.

“It’s not like that, hyung…,” he responds, shyly sipping on his drink. It really isn’t like that, is it? In an instant, Heechul’s cheeky grin is back.

“Whatever you say,” he winks. He plans to fully make use of this situation, perhaps at the expense of the other, but hey, all in good fun. Hyukjae’s phone buzzes again and his hand shoots to pick it up, but then pauses at the last minute to tentatively glance at Heechul, who’s still smiling infuriatingly.

Chewing his lip, Hyukjae decides to turn the phone face down on the table and set it aside. 

“He can wait,” he says challengingly, as if that’s going to convince Heechul there’s nothing between him and Seanet Friend. Heechul’s reply is the widen his smile and Hyukjae has a strong urge to abuse his power as the technically-higher-ranking dragon.

“You know, hyung, you should find a friend your age, too. It’ll do you good, old man,” he mocks Heechul.

“No, those arrogant pricks can go fuck themselves,” Heechul casually says, referring to the elder dragons both he and Hyukjae harbour intense disdain for.

“There are other creatures in the world, you know,” Hyukjae says, not realising he’s trying not to grin. Heechul doesn’t miss the golden opportunity.

“Or fish in the sea,”

“Oh my god, would you shut up already?,” Hyukjae reacts too strongly too quickly, earning a loud laugh from Heechul that causes everyone in the restaurant to turn to look at them, which only works to add to Hyukjae’s infinitely-growing embarrassment.

The rest of the meal passes with Hyukjae suddenly very interested in his food and doing his utmost to ignore Heechul and his buzzing phone, and Heechul cheerfully humming as he enjoys his delicious spaghetti. Around twenty minutes later, Heechul insists on paying (as his own form of apology), simply earning him yet another glower. Hyukjae silently vows to never return to the restaurant when they leave.

“Well, thanks for the meal. I’m gonna go now,” Hyukjae informs his companion, earning him a pat (or more like a smack) on the back, jolting him forward and sending him into a coughing fit. While Hyukjae recovers, Heechul amiably says,

“Yes, of course! You must go back to your fish,”

Giving Heechul a shove, Hyukjae turns around, wings materialising, and takes off with a simple “fuck you”.

Chuckling, Heechul also turns around and transports himself home in a column of fire. He would never admit it, but he is a bit jealous of Hyukjae. The kid was right when he implied Heechul’s a lonely old man. His wild days are over, and he really just wants to settle down with someone nice. But no one would date a stingy, grumpy, smart-ass old dragon who can’t even fly, so he just has to deal with his eternal ugly duckling life. At least he has Bok.


	8. be kind, he doesn't speak well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried something new. This chap is mostly text fic. Please tell me what you think!

**You have a new message from kimheenim.**

**kimheenim: **oh my god your mermaid boy is so fucking cute 

**You: **what how did you find him

what do you want from me

**kimheenim: **i got curious so i went on seanet and you have the same username there

and one friend

how did you manage to land (hehe) someone like THAT

**You: **…

thanks now what do you want

**kimheenim:** pfft calm tf down

seriously tho

i’m happy for your lonely ass

are you guys officially a thing now

**You:** maybe…

idk

we’re getting there...i think

why

**kimheenim: **omg!!!

it fine if i meet him?

CAN YOU INTRODUCE ME TO YOUR FISH BOY

**You:** no

and his name is Donghae

…

**kimheenim: **NO WAIT NO I’M SORRY

i mean it tho

i want to meet him bc you’re always so lonely all the time

except for me :3

and also no one ever wants to date you

so like

i wanna see you with someone legit yknow

yeah?

\---

Huh. That was...weirdly sweet of him, Hyukjae thinks. Well, he knows Heechul genuinely cares about him (and vice versa) but their dynamic consists of constant infinite teasing and banter with some playful violence added into the mix so...emotions are weird. A prerequisite of being born a dragon is that you must be emotionally constipated. Anyway…

Considering Heechul _ is _ his closest friend who’s also actually a good person, he guesses it must make sense to introduce him to Donghae someday. At the very least, it probably can’t hurt. Heechul only bites if you’re a stuck-up high-ranking dragon.

\---

**You:** fine

i’ll ask him about it and get back to you ok?

be nice to him he doesn’t speak well

**kimheenim: **yesssss i promise thank you :33333

;))))

\---

**onyonyon sent you a message 9:01**

**Seen 9:01**

**onyonyon: **ok so i was thinking

how weird are dogs??

WAIT you have to show me land dogs 

Teukie-hyung has a dog named Shimkoongie

but she has a fish tail

**You:** uh oh dogs up here have hind legs instead of tails

i’ll show you one dayyy

**onyonyon: **YAY

<33333

**You:** hey uh hae

i have this friend

his name is Heechul-hyung

he’s also a dragon

basically he’s my best friend big brother whatever and he wants to meet you

are you ok with that…?

it’s fine if you’re not…

**onyonyon: **OMG THAT REMINDS ME

i wanted to introduce you to Teukie-hyung too!!

that’s gonna be kinda hard tho because he lives under the sea and you can’t go down there…

wait yeah it’s fine we can just meet on land

oh but he’s so busy tho jdlhajdfhqoeuifhad

BUT UM YOUR FRIEND

...why does he want to meet me…?

did you tell him about me?

is he mean? :///

**You:** ok so like

he’s 

like

crazy

likeee i wouldn’t say he’s NICE

but he’s a good guy

also he stalked my Seanet and found you

i’m sorry

**onyonyon: **ok…

i mean since he’s your friend and i trust you

okok 

when can we meet?

Is it gonna be...formal

or just going for coffee or something like that

and uh is there any like customs or manners i should...worry about?

**You: **oh no LOL

he doesn’t care lmao

yeah ok so i’ll tell him you said ok

are you free next weekend?

**onyonyon: **yup! :D

**You:** ok nice!

omg

maybe we can even come to his house or smth

or like one of his houses

he has a dog!!!

**onyonyon: **GASPPPP CAN WE DO THAT

WOULD HE BE OK WITH THAT

aaaaa now i’m so excited to meet himmmmmm

oops i gtg now

see you later hyukkie!!

you’re the best <33333 :DDDD

**You: **oh ok!

see you <33333

\---

Hyukjae smiles at Donghae’s sweet messages before heaving a sigh of relief. Right, he’s going to introduce Donghae to Heechul. This is nerve-wracking, but he’s also not _ too _ worried because he somehow knows Heechul will be nice to Donghae. The merman _ is _ super sweet, after all. Or maybe he’s a bit biased. No, Donghae’s sweetness is irrefutable fact. Getting his beating heart in order, Hyukjae opens Landing and clicks on the name at the top of his messages (accompanied by an avatar of Heechul with rockstar hair and red sunglasses).

\---

**You:** donghae’s ok with meeting you

is next week ok?

oh btw i told him you have a dog and he really wants to see dog

so...can bok come…

**kimheenim: **oh my god YES

bok might crush his expectations of dogs

that’s fine right

**You: **yeah…

i think

i don’t think he minds

**kimheenim: **sweeeeet

well considering you want to see bok

just pop over to my place whenever 

i’m free all next weekend and this old man’s not going anywhere lmao

**You: **okkkk

man he’s gonna be so happy

OK THANK YOU HYUNG remember to be nice to him for me yeah?

see youuu

**kimheenim: **i’ll try ;)))))

nah jk i’ll behave i already promised :33

Idk about bok tho

Welp so that’s that

you kids go have fun now i have a drama to get back to~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is there anything in particular you might want to see in the future? lmk~
> 
> pinklittlecloud on twitter


	9. meet the parents 1

Bok, like many hyperactive dogs, has very little concern for what, or who, he happens to trample over. Well, due to his size, he never actually “tramples” anyone, but he runs over them alright. And this includes his newest friend, Donghae.

Heechul and Hyukjae watch, amused and endeared, as Donghae happily tries to catch the excited dog while calling him, but this, of course, doesn’t work, as Heechul knows all too well. They’re both obviously enjoying themselves, though, so no one’s complaining.

Heechul’s not really aware of it, but he’s looking at Donghae with love in his eyes. Not the kind of love with which he looks at his favourite actress and singers. Not the kind with which he looks at his old partners, either. 

It’s a little closer to how he looks at Bok or Hyukjae in those rare moments when neither of them are making a sound, and Heechul is just silently reminded of the love he has for his “children”. Only, with Donghae, it doesn’t seem to be limited to once in a blue moon. He seems to be adorable  _ all the time _ .

“Heechul-hyung,”

“Hmm?,” the older dragon replies without taking his eyes off the dog-merman interactions.

“You’re smiling,” 

The amused tone in Hyukjae’s voice, as well as the way Heechul only just realised he’s smiling, makes him turn around to glare at his junior, eyes on fire. Thou shalt not accuse Kim Heechul of having soft emotions.

“So are you,” he annoyedly deflects, albeit weakly. Hyukjae only cheekily smiles wider and turns back to watch Donghae.

“Heechul-hyung,” comes a different voice.

“Yes, what is it?,”

“What breed is Bok? Teukie-hyung’s Shimkoong looks quite different,”

Once again, Donghae does not elaborate on who “Teukie-hyung” is. 

“Oh, I have no idea, actually. But wouldn’t your friend’s dog be an underwater breed?,” Heechul asks curiously.

Donghae smiles as Bok finally climbs onto his lap and settles down.

“Yeah, she has a fish tail! But her upper part,” he gestures onto Bok to indicate where Shimkoong’s dog half starts. “She’s white and fluffy, with long hair.” Donghae then goes back to wordlessly humming while petting the dog, apparently content with verbal interaction for now. Hyukjae was right, he really doesn’t talk a lot. In his defense, none of the people present seem to be that great at making conversation, either, so they have all decided to sit together in companionable silence.

After a bit, though, Heechul inevitably gets bored, which is never good news. Hyukjae seems determined to remain tight-lipped, but…

“Say, Donghae. How did you and Hyukjae meet?,” he asks innocently. His junior immediately whips his head around, the glare from the other day back in full force, and Heechul simply smirks.

Contrary to his partner(?), Donghae smiles brightly and happily launches into his story, providing all the details Heechul needs as Hyukjae looks on in terror but without courage to stop his merman. By the end of it, Hyukjae is almost as pale as Heechul, then promptly turns as red as Heechul’s wings when said dragon bursts out laughing, clapping his victim on the back with an audible smack. Either oblivious or not minding Hyukjae’s embarrassment, Donghae scoots over and hugs him as he smiles at Heechul’s obvious enjoyment of their experiences. The warm, firm hug makes Hyukjae blush even redder, but Heechul also sees him visibly relax as he leans into Donghae’s strong arms.

Heechul feels his old sad heart melt a little, and decide to give, or force the two into, some time alone with each other, and also to spare Hyukjae of the torment.

“Alright, you kids, run along now and enjoy yourselves. This old man can’t take more sappy young love. Donghae, should we exchange contacts?,” he smiles, even through his signature sarcastic tone.


	10. meet the parents 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Donghae's turn to introduce his "dad".

“Leeteuk-ssi, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” Hyukjae says politely.

From across the table, Leeteuk smiles, as does Donghae.

“Oh, please, no need to be so formal. You really don’t need to speak like that to me,” Leeteuk says, eyes crinkling with his bright, friendly smile. His voice is light and soft, almost lilting. It’s kind and very comforting. Hyukjae can see why Donghae sees Leeteuk as a brotherly figure.

“Oh,” Hyukjae goes silent, not quite sure how to respond. Donghae cocks his head, somewhat perplexed,

“What’s the matter, Hyukkie? Teuk-hyung is very nice and doesn’t require so many honourifics and whatnot. Also you didn’t speak the same way to Heechul-hyung?,” he asks.

Now it’s Hyukjae’s turn to be confused. Does he not realise? Or did he...forget. Is Hyukjae wrong? Blue hair, navy suit, flowing white ribbon… This is  _ the _ Leeteuk, isn’t it?

“Sorry, Hae, Leeteuk-s - hyung. Pardon my bluntness, but...Leeteuk-hyung, you are the sea god, aren’t you?,” he says. That was still way too formal, but he can’t shake it.

Leeteuk laughs a bit, the sound as pleasant as his speaking voice.

“Oh, did Donghae not tell you? Donghae-ah, what have you told him about me?,” he laughs again. “Yes, I am the sea god, but please do not see that as reason to speak to me as a superior. As with Donghae, I’m just Teuk-hyung with you,” he smiles again, and Hyukjae immediately calms down as the soothing words reach him. Donghae’s face has taken on a slightly surprised or shocked expression.

“Oh my, I just realised I never really told you exactly who Teuk-hyung was. I keep forgetting, honestly… I know he’s the sea god and all but...it’s weird,” he says while mulling “Teukie’s” godhood over.

Both the other men turn to stare at him with the classic Donghae-induced mix of wonder and confusion, then turn to look at each other, and dissolved into stifled giggles.

“What, I’ve known him for ages and he’s just a hyung to me,” Donghae pouts, which only draws more laughter. After collecting themselves a bit, Hyukjae and Leeteuk decide to quiet down for the sake of the restaurant’s other patrons. Hyukjae puts a hand on top of Donghae’s.

“Alright, alright, I understand. It’s the same with Heechul-hyung for me,” he giggles a bit, still amused. “Anyway, have you decide on what to eat, yet?”

Donghae looks at Leeteuk expectedly, if a bit guiltily.

“Um, hyung, can you order for me?,” he requests. Hyukjae’s eyes widen comically as he looks at Leeteuk.

“He makes you do that, too?,” he says, and they begin another wave of laughter as Donghae tries his best to look annoyed, which only prompts more laughter. They are interrupted by the sound of Donghae’s stomach growling.

“Alright, then,” Leeteuk smiles.

“Avocado toast?,” both men say at the same time, and Donghae beams, nodding.

They make some casual conversation and catch Leeteuk up on the story while waiting for the food. As Donghae prepares to dig into his delicious-looking avocado toast, Hyukjae’s phone rings.

**Universe Superstar** , the phone cheerfully announces. Hyukjae sighs at the name Heechul set himself and quickly apologises to the other two before picking up. He would ignore the call, but the last time he did that, Heechul did not react kindly.

“Hyung, I’m busy right now, can you call back later?,” Hyukjae hisses.

“Oh, awww is it a bad time? Wait are you out with Donghae?,” Heechul excitedly says. Hyukjae glances over to Donghae and Leeteuk, who are cheerfully chatting away in their own conversation. He can’t lie to Heechul…

“Yes. And I need to get back before the food gets cold,” he says, hoping his annoyance and urgency carries across. Clearly, it did not, or maybe it did and went ignored, because Heechul gives a happy shout before loudly talking down the receiver, “OH MY GOD. CAN I TALK TO HIM?”

Leeteuk and Donghae turn to look at Hyukjae because of the noise his phone just emitted, and Hyukjae can only sigh.

“Yes,”

“No, wait, put me on speaker,” 

Pensively looking at Leeteuk, Hyukjae covers his receiver.

“Leeteuk-hyung, Heechul-hyung is calling and he wants me to put him on speaker so he can talk to Donghae. Is that fine by you? I’m very sorry,” he says, embarrassed. Leeteuk smiles and agrees, waving him off, so Hyukjae sets his phone down on the table and presses the speaker button.

“You’re on speaker now, hyung,” he announces.

“HI DONGHAE,” Heechul shouts, and Donghae’s face lights up.

“Hello, Heechul-hyung! How are you?”

“I’m good, I’m good. Is Hyukkie treating you well?,” comes to sly reply. Donghae giggles.

“Yes, hyung, he is. We’re going out for brunch right now. Since he introduced me to you, I brought Teuk-hyung to meet him today, too! Do you want to talk to him?,” Donghae says without a care in the world and Hyukjae feels his soul leave his body. He looks up at the smiling Leeteuk in horror, trying his very best to apologise, apologise, apologise with his eyes.

“Hmm? I don’t even know who that is. Say hi to him for me, but never mind that. I want to talk to you, Hae! Bok misses you! Come visit sometime soon!,” Heechul says.

“Oh, I want to! Hyukjae, can we do that? When can we visit Heechul-hyung again?,” Donghae asks.

“We can do that soon, Hae, but we can deal with that later, yes? We shouldn’t keep Leeteuk-hyung waiting,” Hyukjae says self-consciously, and Heechul laughs.

“Okay, okay, I’ll let you kids go. Great to see you, Donghae. Hyukjae, take good care of him, okay?,” Heechul says, loud and energetic as usual, and ends the call before either of them can respond.

Donghae is still smiling, while Hyukjae feels like a hurricane just passed. And he’s lucky to have survived.

“Sorry about that, Leeteuk-hyung. Heechul-hyung is a senior dragon. He’s my friend who I introduced to Donghae last week,” Hyukjae explains, still embarrassed.

Neither Hyukjae nor Donghae notice it, but Leeteuk looks strangely...endeared. Lovestruck. He doesn’t know who this Heechul is, but the way in which he seemed to care for Donghae… It warms his heart to know that there’s someone else who seems to love Donghae as he does. It’s so good that Donghae’s finding friends and people to take care of him other than Leeteuk.

“That’s quite alright. I really didn’t mind,” he says pleasantly, and Hyukjae sags with relief. Donghae has finally dug into his toast, which is thankfully still warm, and is now happily munching away. Donghae’s been thriving ever since he met Hyukjae. As a hyung, this is also the happiest Leeteuk has been in a long time, he thinks as he watches Donghae eat while playfully chattering to Hyukjae, who has recovered somewhat from his shock from earlier. Hyukjae’s a nice kid, too, Leeteuk thinks. He’s glad Donghae found him.

As they finish the meal and ready to leave, Leeteuk can’t help but think of how he wants to meet this Heechul, even if it’s just to thank him for looking after Donghae. It would be so awkward to ask Hyukjae about it, though… It looks too forward, and why the hell would Leeteuk be interested in meeting someone who randomly called at just a coincidental moment?

That night, as Leeteuk sits alone at home after feeding Shimkoong, he opens Donghae’s Seanet to find that he has befriended Heechul on there. Judging from the profile pictures and the few images he posted, Heechul is quite attractive, Leeteuk thinks. He probably hasn’t posted much here because he primarily uses Landing, but for now, Leeteuk his glad he found out who Heechul is. 

Before he puts his phone away to go to sleep, Leeteuk smiles as he finishes setting up his brand new (private) Landing account.


	11. the parents meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter written by ks__log and pink_cloud.

Heechul doesn’t intend to meet anyone at the seaside. In fact, he picked out the very spot he knew would be vacant - his own backyard, actually. The private land is clean, with only a single beach chair and umbrella. Most importantly, it is empty. He bought the beach house for this reason alone. It cost a fortune, but the dragon has had hundreds of years to amass more than enough money. 

It was a useless purchase, really, since the water isn’t his thing per-se. Might as well put it to use once in a while, particularly because of the water. After all, it’s time to explore a new domain, since the skies are...no longer available. And also, he had that bet with Hyukjae to follow up on. There’s no material advantage to win, but hell if Heechul could pass up the opportunity to hold something over Hyukjae’s head and tease him for it. 

(Well, it turned out he lost anyway. Not even a minor loss, as Hyukjae even got a boyfriend out of this whole ordeal, as much as he denies it. Well, Heechul gained another “son”, so no one’s complaining.)

The thing with having a private beach (despite the slightly questionable legal status) is that the last thing you would expect is someone else on your property. Especially when Heechul is having a nice day, lounging back on his single beach chair. And yet, there is a person on  _ his  _ property. Trespassing. The person is just standing in the water, almost blending in because of their navy suit and blue hair, white ribbon flowing like foam at the edge of waves. Wait, isn’t this the sea god- No way. It must be some impostor. 

“Excuse me, are you the…” The stranger’s face twitches a bit before continuing, “owner of this area?”

Of course, the only way Heechul can reply is with confidence. He doesn’t know what business this stranger has with him, but he sure as hell won’t just obey whatever. His land, his rules.

“Yes, I am. And?”

At this point, the person has started to move from the water, the waves somewhat…clinging to him? Sure, the shore advances and recedes naturally, but it seems to reach just that bit further to even brush against the man’s heel. He strides powerfully up the sand, stepping over scattered pieces of jewelry and precious trinkets along the way, until he’s looking Heechul, who’s still lounging on his beach chair, straight in the eyes. He’s still far enough to be outside the shade, though. They stare at each other, Heechul not losing any bit of composure.

“You’re not really supposed to… _ own  _ a part of public domain.”

“I don’t really keep anyone out,” Heechul huffs, “they just don’t come close to the most powerful of the dragons unless they have a deathwish.”

The person looks perplexed by his answer. Heechul takes the lack of answer as a sign to carry on.

“And clearly, you didn’t get that memo. Who are you?” He cocks an eyebrow challengingly.

“I-” The person sucks in a breath, as if to calm himself. “I’m the sea god, Leeteuk. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

“How do I know that for sure?” 

Before Heechul can press further, he feels the rush of salty breeze against his face as the waves rise to tower over the both of them. It’s frightening, but breathtakingly beautiful at the same time. The column of water hovers there, without even a single drop of water dripping down. The sun filters through the sapphire blue water.

Impressive, but it’s nothing Heechul hasn’t seen before. He didn’t live through thousands of years to not see all the feats of magic there could be.

“Okay, so you’re a water nymph. Anything more to show?” He says, unimpressed.

The water recedes to the ocean just as neatly as it rose. The composure of the other man seems to be barely affected, as it seems like he’s continuing to play along with Heechul’s (unreasonable) requests for proof.

Needless to say, this goes on for quite a while, until the man finally lets out a sigh of resignation. Good, Heechul thinks - he’s finally going to be left alone... until he notices the stranger has pulled out his phone and started calling someone.

“Hello, Donghae? Are you free right now?” 

Oh...

After hanging out with Donghae a few times, one thing is obvious: the kid is friendly, but barely has any real friends. A little snooping around has informed Heechul that Donghae has about 3 people he contacts regularly - Hyukjae and himself, and, somehow, Leeteuk the sea god himself. 

This guy is the real deal. Leeteuk, now confirmed, turns the phone screen to him and, sure enough, there is Donghae’s beaming face.

“Hae, I’m with Heechul right now, do you want to say hi?” Over the line, some...unintelligible noise replies. It  _ does _ sound excited, though. 

“ Oh, I forgot to speak in land earlier, didn’t I? I’m so sorry. Hi, Heechul-hyung!,” The merman seems flustered at his earlier mistake, and Heechul quickly reassures him.

Behind the camera, Leeteuk looks displeased, but almost triumphant. He merely looks on as Heechul and Donghae converse, a smile slipping onto his lips as the two go on. Deciding it’s enough evidence, Leeteuk turns the camera back to himself and bids Donghae goodbye.

“So, do you believe me now?,” he asks challengingly. Instead of a look of defeat, Heechul cracks into a satisfied smile. If it were not for Leeteuk’s centuries of poise and composure, he would have leapt at the man. 

“Yeah, I knew you were the real deal the moment you started speaking. I was just messing with you,” Heechul says, smiling. Leeteuk calls bullshit, but then again he’s not too sure… Heechul still looks infuriatingly self-satisfied.

“Okay, now that you have successfully proven to yours truly that you are, in fact, the real deal sea god, what do you want from me?,” Heechul asks, and the challenging tone is back (not like it ever left). Leeteuk smiles gently and moves forward, stepping just into the shade of the umbrella.

“I wanted to thank you. For taking care of Donghae,” he says, and Heechul immediately softens.

“Oh…,” he says, and hunches over under the shadow of his umbrella. “He’s a good kid. It only makes sense,” he says off-handedly, looking away and feigning aloofness. 

Fine, Leeteuk admits it. As much as he cares for Donghae, he has a personal agenda for being here. It’s probably wise to actually talk to someone instead of wait for them to notice you’ve been more or less stalking them for about a month now. But Heechul must not know this, so this is about Donghae and Donghae only.

“I noticed that time we went out for brunch - me, Donghae, and Hyukjae. When you called. As someone who cares a lot for Donghae, it was very touching to see someone who seems to do the same,” Leeteuk continues, and Heechul further curls into himself and away from him.

“I told you. It’s only natural to care for Donghae. He’s a fucking baby,” Heechul mumbles.

It is then that Leeteuk realise: he does not have an action plan for this point onwards. The silence ensues.

“Well,...as thanks, can I treat you to dinner tonight?,” Leeteuk asks, diplomatic as can be, if a bit awkwardly. Heechul, as a dragon, appreciates freebies, but, paradoxically, can perceive offers of free stuff as an attack on his pride with the implication that he is somehow poor. Everyone, including Heechul himself, knows that this is absolutely ridiculous, but alas, Kim Heechul is known as an emotional man. This vicious internal conflict between the desire for a free treat and the desire to assert his dominance causes the Universe Superstar to, for once, be at a temporary loss for words as he struggles to find an adequately in-character response.

Judging by the silence from the other end, Leeteuk realises the impact of his words as he revises his knowledge on dragon culture, causing him to also go silent as he struggles to figure out something to do now that his dinner backup plan seems to have been proven...ineffective.

“How about a drink?,” Leeteuk asks tentatively. Heechul perks up, then nods, smiling. 

As the pair sip on their drinks in Heechul’s house, having decided their public status might make sightings of them together awkward, Leeteuk can’t help but notice Heechul’s pale skin taking on a pink glow as he drinks. He finds it endearing, but knows Heechul would be self-conscious, and so decides to keep it to himself. 

They don’t talk much, but that’s ok. The company is more than enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew that was a big one! Hope you enjoyed it!


	12. into the woods

**onyonyon sent you an image**

**onyonyon: **hey hyukjae!

look at this flower!

it’s so prettyyyyy

do you know where pretty flowers like this grow on land?

can you take me to see them pleasepleaseplease??

**You: **oh that’s so pretty!

you want to go see flowers?

i have a friend in the forest

i can ask him to take us around if you want?

**onyonyon: **if he doesnt mind!!

thank you hyukkie!! :DDDD <33

\---

Despite the many advancements the population has made as a whole, there are still many natural reservoirs nestled within cities. They serve as frequent gathering spots for woodland spirits and creatures, who prefer to recharge among their elements. 

Among these spirits is the graceful little flower fairy they sometimes call the little prince. This flower fairy is, at the moment, standing alone in a clearing, waiting and slightly irritated.

“Antoine!,” he calls. “Antoine, we have to go. We’re gonna be late.” The bushes don’t so much as rustle in response causing him to sigh.

“Where has he run off to?,” he mumbles to himself. “Antoine, we already promised Siwon we’d be there!,” he says, raising his voice again.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m here,” he hears a deep voice coming from somewhere among the trees, followed by a familiar streak of orange-red flying past before, there, right in front of him, sits a pretty red fox. “Sorry, I wanted to get something for the guest. It’s somewhat materialistic, I know, but ah, well, first steps,” the fox says. “Unfortunately, I have found nothing. Would one of your pretty flowers do?,” he asks, tilting his head.

“Ever the thoughtful one,” Ryeowook says, laughing. “Sure, we can have a welcoming gift for the guest,” he says, beginning to walk while scanning his surroundings. He stops, and smiles. “This one should do,” he says, and waves his hand in the direction of a bed of flowers growing magnificently, but innocently, on the side of the path. In an instant, a new flower blooms from a previously closed bud, revealing the largest and most scintillating blossom of them all. Ryeowook reaches down and gently picks the flower, careful to keep the stem intact so a new bud can grow in place of the old one. Antoine sniffs at their gift curiously, and yips happily.

“Are Jongwoon and Kyuhyun meeting us there?,” Antoine asks, trotting alongside Ryeowook as they resume walking.

“They should be,” Ryeowook says. “Knowing them, though, they’re probably going to be a bit late. Especially Kyuhyun,” he adds, making them both laugh. They eventually reach the main trail and, surely enough, there’s the tall white centaur accompanied by two people.

“Ah, Donghae, here he is. This is Ryeowook, or most beloved flower fairy,” Siwon says, and the only thing keeping Ryeowook from rolling his eyes too obviously is the presence of the guests.

“Thank you, Siwon. I’m very honoured,” he says sarcastically. He ignores Siwon’s cheeky grin and turns to Donghae instead.

“Donghae-ssi, yes? Nice to meet you,” he greets. He holds up the magnificent flower. “This is for you. It’s a carnation I bloomed myself,” he says, and Donghae’s face lights up, his eyes shining. He takes the flower oh so carefully and delicately, as if it’s the most precious thing in the world, and Ryeowook smiles approvingly.

“Ryeowook-ssi, thank you! It looks just like...like a dress!,” Donghae says in wonder. “It’s so beautiful,” he sighs, turning to the man beside him. “Hyukjae, look, it’s so pretty,” he says, showing the flower to his companion. At the fluffy scene, the fluffiest creature present lets out an excited bark, catching everyone’s attention. Donghae gasps when he sees the fox.

“Oh, hello! Is this your friend, Ryeowook-ssi?,” Donghae asks, taking a curious, but cautious, step towards Antoine.

“Yes, I am,” Antoine says, causing Donghae to jump. The fox laughs. “My name is Antoine, and I’m a talking fox,” he says, licking his paw. Donghae coos. He **coos**, and Hyukjae can only stare at him and resist the urge to coo himself (but not at Antoine).

“I-a fox!,” Donghae exclaims. “Um...Antoine-ssi, would it be fine by you if I...touch you?,” Donghae says, excited but cautious. Antoine laughs.

“Sure you can, thanks for asking. Go behind the ears,” he says, walking towards Donghae. Donghae bends down and pats him on the head, scratching behind his ears as requested. “Oh, yeah, that’s nice. Ryeowook, you should do this more often,” Antoine says, closing his eyes in bliss.

“Ryeowook-ah, where are Jongwoon and Kyuhyun?,” Siwon asks while Donghae and Hyukjae continue to admire Antoine.

“Late, as usual,” Ryeowook huffs. “I don’t know, I haven’t seen them,” he says, pulling out his phone. He opens the texting app and goes to their group chat. “KRY”, it says.

\---

**eorinwang:** where are you? 

siwon and the guests are here already here

**DrunkenCho:** COMING!!!

just hang on a sec

**yesung:** sorry, I had to grab some coffee

i’ll be just a moment

\---

Ryeowook sighs and puts his phone back in his pocket.

“They said they’ll be here soon. Let’s just wait a bit,” he says, and sits down against a nearby tree. Antoine walks over to him and curls on his lap, and the two seem to stop noticing their surroundings. Determined to fulfill his duty as tour guide, Siwon strikes up conversation with Donghae again.

“Donghae, have you ever met a fairy before?,” he asks.

“Well, there are water fairies under the sea and occasionally, river spirits and stuff visit. But I’ve never met any fairies from the forests like Ryeowook,” Donghae says. “You’re the first centaur I’ve ever met, too!”

“Wait, Hae, has Leeteuk-hyung ever told you about Siwon?,” Hyukjae says, curious.

“No, why? Do they know each other?,” Donghae cocks his head in confusion, looking back and forth between Hyukjae and Siwon. Siwon appears somewhat confused as well, and Hyukjae just sighs and rubs the space between his eyebrows. Sometimes he’s reminded of just how obvious Donghae is to just about everything, and it is as tiring as it is endearing.

“Donghae-ah, Siwon is the leader of the centaurs. He and Leeteuk-hyung have met several times at conferences and meetings,” he explains. It appears Donghae is also oblivious to Hyukjae’s perplexed disdain, as he gasps excitedly and looks up at Siwon, eyes twinkling.

“You’re the leader of the centaurs? That’s so amazing! Is that why you know Hyukjae? Because he’s a dragon prince?,” Donghae asks, and Hyukjae wants to disappear and die.

“Wait, you’re a _ prince _?,” comes Ryeowook’s voice from where he’s sitting. “Dragon royalty, huh?,” he huffs, rolling his eyes, and Hyukjae feels that familiar wave of shame wash over him.

“Come now, Ryeowook, he’s nothing like the others, I promise,” Siwon says, sympathetic.

“Mmm sure he is,” Ryeowook drawls.

“No, really!,” Donghae pipes up. “I’ve always heard dragons are really mean and selfish, but Hyukjae’s not like that at all. He’s really kind and sweet, Ryeowook.”

“I also happen to hate the rest of the nobles,” Hyukjae mumbles, hugging himself and looking at the ground. Ryeowook glares at him for a few moments, then appears to make up his mind.

“I’ll judge you for myself,” he says, standing up and turning his back to the group. Antoine sits beside him, head down and ears folded.

“I know they don’t like us much,” Hyukjae says quietly, still not looking at anyone. “But it still hurts. Do you know what exactly dragons did in this area, Siwon?,” he asks. Donghae places a comforting hand on his back. It helps a bit.

“An amber group have been trying to take over the forested region,” Siwon explains. “The eastern border is right next to their property, so they think they have the right to the area. They want to expand into it and, I don’t know, convert it or something like that,” he says, then turns tp look at Ryeowook. “It’s close to where Ryeowook lives.”

“Oh, ambers,” Hyukjae scoffs, annoyed. “They always cause trouble. They have some status so they think they’re so good and abuse their power,” he says. Siwon nods gravely while Donghae looks on sadly, solemnly.

“But,” Hyukjae says, looking up. He smiles a bit. “I can tell them to knock it off. They’re not allowed to disobey a command from a gold dragon,” he says. Siwon raises his eyebrows at him, then relaxes into a genuine smile.

“If you don’t mind,” he says, and Hyukjae nods. 

“Hey, Ryeowook!,” Siwon calls.

“What?,” comes the irritated response.

“Hyukjae can help with our dragon problem. You think you can take us over there?,” Siwon says happily, and Ryeowook frowns and glares and Hyukjae.

“Oh, is that so?,” he says sarcastically. “You don’t think we’ve tried asking for help from other dragon nobility? They never help. They don’t turn against their own. What do you want, Hyukjae?” he says, venomously, and Hyukjae would have been taken aback if he wasn’t not more than used to this by now. 

What he isn’t used to, however, is having someone on his side, and so finds his eyes widening when Donghae steps in front of him to face Ryeowook.

“He just wants to help, Ryeowook. Please trust him,” Donghae says, gentle but firm. Antoine nods and looks up at Ryeowook.

“I think you should take him up on this one,” he says, and Ryeowook purses his lips.

“I suppose it can’t hurt,” Ryeowook concedes, and turns around with a final glare at Hyukjae as he begins to walk due east, the party following him. At some point along the path, they encounter two people hurriedly walking in the opposite direction, which Ryeowook stops.

“You were late. Party’s over,” Ryeowook says, frowning at the two. They pause, surprised and slightly breathless, and stare at Ryeowook with questioning gazes.

“Who are they, Siwon?,” Donghae whispers to Siwon, but he’s overheard by the taller of the pair, who straightens up and smiles at him haughtily.

“I’m assuming you’re the guests? My name is Kyuhyun. I’m an ice fairy,” he says, exuding confidence. His companion appears more quiet.

“I’m Jongwoon. Cloud fairy. Nice to meet you,” he says gently, and Donghae likes him already. Before Donghae can introduce himself, Ryeowook starts talking again.

“Okay, very nice. That’s Donghae the merman, and Hyukjae the _ dragon prince _,” he says with daggers in his eyes as he looks back at Hyukjae. “He offered to help us with the dragon problem, so now we’re heading over there. You coming?”

Jongwoon and Kyuhyun look at each other, then shrug and agree. As they continue to head in the direction of their fairies’ homes, Kyuhyun falls back to talk to Donghae, distinctly keeping Donghae between him and Hyukjae, while Jongwoon glides along next to Hyukjae.

“Hyukjae-ssi, I’m sorry about Ryeowook. Thank you very much for offering to help,” he says. “I must warn you, they are a very stubborn and, um, prideful group,” he warns seriously. Hyukjae relaxes a bit, as it doesn’t appear Jongwoon has issues with him. It’s a nice change.

“Don’t worry, Jongwoon-ssi. I rank above them, so they have to listen to me,” he responds, and Jongwoon smiles.

Donghae finds out that Kyuhyun is from an arctic region, but moved here after tiring of the icy landscape and his giant fanclub composed entirely of penguins. As Donghae begins to tell Kyuhyun his own story, however, they are stopped by the sound of a loud _ bang _, followed by some shouting.

“Dragon magic!,” Hyukjae exclaims, alarmed and takes off running, closely followed by everyone else. 

“Those bastards. What have they done this time?,” Kyuhyun curses, nose scrunching in disgust. 

“Let’s hope it’s nothing ridiculous,” says Jongwoon, and they continue to sprint along, gripped with worry.

The trees clear out to reveal the first section of a large housing area, which appears to be where the fairies live. Straight in front of them, at the far end of the area, are three dragons, wings and claws out and fireballs in their hands. Standing in front of them and with his back to the group is another figure.

“Donghee, glad to see you here!,” Siwon shouts out as he canters towards the confrontation. 

“Oh, look, your backup is here,” one of the dragons sneers. His wings are sort of reddish, Hyukjae notices. “Back off, horsey,” he spits. Siwon looks down at him, unfazed.

“He even brought a whole little army,” says another of the dragons, whose scales are clear, almost see-through, amber.

“What do you think you’re doing?,” comes Hyukjae’s voice as he moves to stand beside Donghee. Everyone present, especially Donghae, is taken aback by the commanding sternness in the his voice.

“This part of the forest should be ours,” says the dragon donning the most high-class jewelry. “They’ve been refusing to give it up for ages. You don’t even fucking need this space.” The fireball in his hand flares up in intimidation, and the all three pairs of amber wings ruffle threateningly. Hyukjae feels Donghee shift beside him and go into a fighting stance, and hears the sharp intake of breath as Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, Jongwoon, Siwon, and even Donghae bring their guard up. He takes a step to stand in front of Donghee and gently nudges him back.

“Donghee-ssi, is it? Please let me handle this,” Hyukjae says, not taking his eyes off his opponents, and Donghee decides to retreat to join the fairies.

“Why are you helping them, you ass?,” hisses the leader. “You’re a dragon like us, aren’t you? Why are you defending these idiots?”

“This land does not belong to you,” Hyukjae responds. “I advise you to back off and leave them alone,” he says, and his gaze is intense and fiery. The ambers laugh at him, evidently finding his demand ridiculous, but the laugh isn’t so convincingly confident.

“Listen, buddy. Who even are you? Just get out of the way and we can get this over and done with,” says Red-wings with his best smirk.

“You do know my family ranks the highest around these parts, right?,” says the leader. “We don’t want any trouble, so just move,” he growls, and lowers his head to further accentuated his wings.

“They’re not gonna listen to you talk, samaritan,” Kyuhyun calls out. “Unless you can actually _ do _ something, this is just gonna continue like this.”

The attackers snigger, and Hyukjae winces inside. He knew it would have to come to this, but a part of him still hoped it wouldn’t have to. Ah, well, guess not, then. He should really know better by now.

Hyukjae gestures to his companions to move back, then takes a deep breath, stepping back a bit to make more space between himself and the ambers. Without any further warning, he erupts in a column of fire, larger and more powerful than the one he showed Donghae all those weeks ago. The flames disintegrate, and where they were stands Hyukjae, wings spread wide, claws bared, and tail flicking. The light glints off his golden scales, and the ambers’ eyes go wide. Immediately, they all drop down onto one knee, head bowed and wings folded. This time, Hyukjae really winces at the pathetic display of submission.

“To answer your question, I’m Prince Eunhyuk of the Northern Territories. Stand up,” he commands, loud and menacing, and the ambers scramble to obey.

“Sir, I-we’re so sorry. We didn’t realise. Please forgive us,” says the leader, lips trembling.

“Save it. It’s not me who needs an apology from you,” Hyukjae says sternly, and the amber leader has the audacity to look confused.

“Listen closely,” he says, trying to keep his temper in check. “This is an order.” The ambers start to shake. Hyukjae glares at them, and all he can think about is how different they look from just mere moments ago, when they thought they were on top of the world.

“You will leave this forestland alone and stop bothering the inhabitants. There is no reason you need this land other than to feed your own greed. You should be ashamed of yourselves. If I hear about any future disturbances in this area, things will not turn out well for you. Am I understood?,” he says, enunciating every word and accentuating as needed. There is to be no wiggle room. No loopholes.

The ambers all bow their heads and mutter frightened “yes, sir”s, after which they scatteredly fly off with their tails between their legs, almost literally. Hyukjae lets out a sigh of relief, and the spell Donghae was held under breaks. Throughout the entire confrontation, he has watched, enraptured, fearful, and fascinated, as Hyukjae showed a side of him he never expected to exist. That wasn’t the Hyukjae he knew, not really. And yet he _ was _ his Hyukjae, because he was...good. He was a dragon prince, but he was using his power and status and everything for _ good _, not for greed or reverence. At this moment, Donghae knows for good that Hyukjae is not at all selfish, but caring and kind.

And Donghae knows he loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEWWWW we are BACK IN BUSINESS! this was longer than my usual chaps so HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT and hope the wait was worth it. ily <333  
[a (joke of a) visualisation of ice fairy kyu](https://twitter.com/nodrama_byteuk/status/1200840163179552770)


	13. a rose that never wilts

“Bok-ah!”

“Bok-ah!”

_ Clap clap. _

_ Clap. _

“Bok, you bastard, come here!,” Heechul calls, only to be ignored yet again. Suddenly, Bok, frolicking in the shallows, lifts his head and looks towards his owner, lets out a bark, then runs towards him. Heechul opens his arms in thankful welcome, and it appears to be a touching reunion between dog and owner…but Bok runs right past him, not sparing him a single glance, and Heechul slumps down in defeat.

“You bastard,” Heechul says again. “See, Leeteuk’s Shimkoong stays right by her owner’s side. Why can’t you be like that you little shit?,” he rambles as Bok runs and barks without a care in the world. Leeteuk smiles, stroking his precious Shimkoong as they sit in the water, Shimkoong’s tail flicking happily.

“Koongie-yah, who’s a good girl?,” he coos, lovingly stroking her behind the ears, and Heechul makes a face at that stupid baby-talk voice he uses. Shimkoong licks Leeteuk’s mouth and he giggles, completely enamored. Heechul resists the urge to groan, both from the disgusting display of affection and his own sad dog owner situation. Desperate to distract himself, he calls,

“Hey, Teukie. Can Shimkoong grow legs like Donghae?,” he asks, and Leeteuk looks over from where he has picked Shimkoong up and is now nuzzling her.

“Oh, yeah, she can. But she’s never done it. I’m scared of hurting her because the transformation makes the legs really sensitive. It’s not the most comfortable thing,” he says, hugging Shimkoong close. She barks at Heechul, who sighs miserably.

“So…, what can I do to get you to come inside?,” he asks, and Leeteuk hums, bouncing the white merdog in his arms.

“Well, you have a pool right? She can stay there,” he says. Shimkoong looks up at him with her big puppy dog eyes.

“Alright, that works. Now let’s go inside. The sun is bad for my skin,” Heechul says and stands up, tugging his ahjumma sun hat over his face.

“Let’s go, Koongie. You can play in the pool inside, okay? Good girl. I love you so much,” Leeteuk says, holding Shimkoong in his arms as he stands up to follow Heechul. There’s no need for him to dry himself off before entering the house because...sea god things. They promptly navigate to Heechul’s fancy indoor pool whose only purpose is to be a status symbol. The water-hating dragon has never touched it once in his life. Leeteuk gently lowers Shimkoong into it, after which Bok kamikaze runs and jumps in, causing an impressive splash.

“Ugh, insufferable fucker,” Heechul says, examining his very-slightly wet shirt. Leeteuk laughs, and they go to sit down on Heechul’s deck chairs.

Deck chair.

He only has one beach chair on the beach, and one deck chair by the pool.

“Uhh…,” Heechul says awkwardly. “Should we go inside? The dogs will be fine. I mean, it’s not like Shimkoong’s gonna drown, right…”

Leeteuk looks longingly at his dog, then, apologetically.

“I’m gonna go for a bit now, Koongie. Sorry, baby, I love you. Play with Bok, okay? I’ll see you in a bit,” he says, then follows Heechul, still looking back at his precious merdog, who barks as he leaves.

The eventually reach Heechul’s now-familiar couch and Heechul plops down, lounging luxuriously, hat falling off. Leeteuk takes his seat in his usual sofa and relaxes into the plush cushion.

“You know, your thing with your dog is seriously gross. Fucking princess,” Heechul complains.

“I can’t help it. I love her so much,” Leeteuk says dreamily. Heechul groans but drops the subject. Leeteuk doesn’t say anything.

The silence continues.

At some point, as if on cue, they both pull out their phones and start playing on them, not saying another word.

\---

“I should apologise,” Ryeowook says, looking off into the distance. Hyukjae hums.

“I shouldn’t have judged you like that. I’m sorry,” Ryeowook sighs, and Hyukjae looks at him, listening closely, but presence unimposing. “Thank you for your help. This means I owe you one,” Ryeowook says, and turns to look at his companion. Hyukjae smiles.

“It’s fine, really. I’m glad to help. And don’t worry about it, I understand,” he says, and Ryeowook finally smiles at him. He sits down at the nearest tree trunk, and Antoine trots over to rest his head on Ryeowook’s lap, closing his eyes to take a light snooze.

“I do have a small favour to ask, though, if you don’t mind,” Hyukjae says, looking down and shuffling his feet a bit.

“What is it?,” Ryeowook asks, petting Antoine.

“The flower you gave Donghae. It was beautiful,” Hyukjae says, and Ryeowook smiles at him again, pleased. “So, I was wondering,” he continues. “Can you find me a flower that means ‘love’? A pretty flower like that one you found for him,” he says, and his entire face goes red. Ryeowook giggles.

“Oh?,” he teases, and Hyukjae looks away in embarrassment. “Well, that’s easy enough. Come on, let’s get you a rose. Those are my favourite, too,” Ryeowook says, and he gets up, gently rousing Antoine from his nap. Hyukjae beams and follows him, spring in his step.

\---

“Did you _ see _ him?,” Donghae asks for the 50th time, smacking the nearest person, who currently happens to be Kyuhyun, on the back as he laughs delightedly. “Hyukjae! He was amazing,” he says, both excited and dreamy. He’s blushing a lot, either from the adrenaline or other feelings. 

“Yes, hyung, that really was great. But please have a seat and a drink of water. You’re very excited,” Kyuhyun says, rubbing his arm where Donghae hit him. Donghae hits hard.

“How can I not be? I’m so happy to have him as a friend,” Donghae says and smiles even brighter than usual, as if that was possible. 

There is something to be explored here, Kyuhyun notices. He smiles.

“You’re right. He _ is _ very impressive, isn’t he?,” Kyuhyun says, smirking.

“He is! And so kind and caring and cool and and funny and handsome,” Donghae says, then shoots his hands up to cover his blushing face, still giggling on cloud nine. 

“Kyuhyun,” says Yesung warningly as he puts a hand on Kyuhyun’s shoulder, not missing the evil glint in the ice fairy’s eyes. His words goes unnoticed, as usual.

“Wouldn’t he make a good partner?,” Kyuhyun says. Yesung shoots fire at him from his eyes despite not possessing that kind of magic.

“Yeah, he really would,” Donghae says, smiling. He stares off into the distance, eyes clouding over as he gets lost in his own thoughts. “I think he has a lot of women after him. Dragons,” he says with a twinge of sadness. He turns back to Yesung and Kyuhyun and rests his chin on one hand, eyes half-lidded and mouth curved into a pouty frown.

“I don’t think he’s interested in them,” comes Ryeowook’s voice from the doorway, causing the three to look up at him, Donghae more surprised than the other two. “Donghae-hyung, I suggest you go out to the clearing. He’s waiting for you,” he says, smiling, and Donghae stands up, heart beating in his chest from something he can’t quite place.

\---

** **

**leedonghae **Thank you, Hyukjae, my best friend, and now boyfriend. I love you 💙

“Oh, would you look at that,” Leeteuk says, liking the post. 

“Hmm?”

“They got together.”

“Who, the kids?,” Heechul asks, going on Donghae’s Seanet himself.

“Yeah,” says Leeteuk, shooting Donghae a congratulations on DM.

_ Liked by _ ** _eunhyukee_ ** _ and _ ** _ kimheenim_ **

Leeteuk smiles, then finally puts his phone down to look over at Heechul, who also has a smile on his face.

“I never thought this day would come,” Heechul says, then breaks into shrill, delighted laughter. Leeteuk joins in with his own unique laugh, and they unite in their mutual happiness for the young pair. They are interrupted when Leeteuk’s phone pings.

.

**hae:** thank you hyung! 💙💙💙

you should find someone of your own :D

I believe in you 💙

.

Leeteuk blushes, trying not to smile.

.

**You: **Thank you, donghae, but I think that will have to wait

Maybe you can help me :)

.

“Ughhhh you little shit,” Heechul groans, slapping his palm against his forehead. “Can you believe this kid? He’s telling me to go get someone too. You wait until I get my hands on you,” he rants murderously as he furiously types at his phone. Leeteuk fails to not smile as he feels the strange blush climb.

“Donghae told me the same thing,” he says. “They really are insufferable, aren’t they?”

His tone isn’t even remotely convincing. But in his frustration, Heechul fails to notice. It really would be good if he could find someone of his own, Leeteuk thinks. What Donghae has...he knows he wants it. But he’s been too long without love already, so he’s more than used to it by now, even if he does get rather sad. You can get used to anything, eventually.

That night, when Leeteuk reunites with Shimkoong and goes home, he receives another text from Donghae.

.

**Hae: **hyung

Hyung

…

Can i tell you something?

**You:** Sure

What is it?

**Hae: **aaa

I’m so happy hyung ㅠㅠ

…

Hyukjae kissed me

AAAAA

.

How to respond…

.

**You: **Oh my!

How romantic :))

Run along, now. Don’t leave him hanging for my sake~

**Hae: **I won’t!

See you hyung~~

I love you 💙💙💙

.

Leeteuk shoots back an “I love you”, turns off his phone and puts it face down, closing his eyes and lying back in his bed. Without realising it, he imagines what it must be like to kiss. He hasn’t done anything like that in so long. He tries to construct images and feelings of a kiss, and finds his mind wandering to a specific person, whose lips are thick, plump, and beautiful. When those lips are parted, the most outlandish laughs can be heard, or, more often, the most lethal and brutal comments, said with lightning-quick wit and brilliant vitality. He finds himself wanting to feel those lips on his own, finds himself wanting that person to hold him in his arms, and to wrap his own arms around that now-familiar figure to feel the warmth of his wonderful kiss. To feel it warm him up, all the way into his longing heart. 

He falls asleep in the comfort his mind constructed for himself, ignoring the longing ache in his heart that knows it’s only in his imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> art by ks__log


	14. under the sea pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a precursor to the next chapter, which will be longer, hence the "pt. 1". Hope you enjoy!

“Teuk-hyung,...this is amazing! I- are you sure it’s okay? You really don’t mind? Me and Donghae, I mean…,” Hyukjae says, astounded. He fascinately examines the intricately carved blue gemstone attached to a thin but sturdy string that Leeteuk just handed him.

“Of course not,” says Leeteuk. “Hyukjae,... were you worried I wouldn’t approve? You’re a good person, and you two make each other so happy. I would never keep him, or you, from that happiness,” Leeteuk says gently, smiling as he places a hand on top of Hyukjae’s.

“Oh…,” Hyukjae says quietly, not making eye contact. “Sorry...I should’ve realised you wouldn’t...um...be like that…,” he mumbles, looking away. Donghae immediately places a hand on his partner’s shoulder and leans closer.

“Be like what, Hyukkie?,” he asks, but Hyukjae just stays silent and continues to look down.

“Hae-ah,” says Leeteuk from across the table. “You remember hearing many bad things about dragons like Hyukjae, right?”

Donghae nods.

“Well, most people under the sea don’t like the land creatures very much. And, actually, relationships between an ocean- and land-dweller are generally...seen as a bad thing,” Leeteuk explains. “I gather that’s what Hyukjae was worried about?,” he asks.

“Yes…,” comes the response. As if on cue, Donghae frowns and gathers his boyfriend into his arms and holds him tight.

“Well, I don’t care what people think, and I’m sure Teukie-hyung doesn’t, either. I love you, Hyukkie, and that’s that,” he declares, finally succeeding in making Hyukjae smile and look up again. Leeteuk feels his heart melt a bit.

“Well, now that you know for sure that I welcome you with open arms, you can accept the gift without hesitation, Hyukjae,” says Leeteuk. Suddenly remembering the pendant, Hyukjae holds it up again and resumes admiring it.

“So you’re saying...I can breathe and survive as normal underwater if I wear this?,” Hyukjae asks, receiving an enthusiastic nod from Leeteuk.

“That’s right! I learned the spell from my noona who’s a water deity,” says Leeteuk proudly, making Donghae giggle. Hyukjae puts the pendant on and beams at Leeteuk and thanks him enthusiastically, only stopping when Donghae smacks him on the back with a laugh.

\---

“A charm?”

“Yes. So you can go underwater.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“...”

Leeteuk’s smile disappears as he tries his best not to glare too hard at Heechul. He takes a deep breath, then sighs.

“To visit me potentially?,” he says tiredly. Heechul lets out a long “ohhh” of realisation, then looks Leeteuk square in the face.

“Leeteuk, my friend, thank you for the lovely gift. However, I don’t think I will ever use it, as much as it might be nice to visit you,” he says bluntly, immediately feeling panic take hold as he witnesses Leeteuk react as if he has just been hit. “Teukie, I’m a fire dragon. Me, water, no,” he says quickly, laughing a bit to clarify his intention. He feels his blood pressure lower as Leeteuk relaxes.

“Oh, right. Well, just in case,” he says cheerfully and smiles that signature smile of his that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. 

...

“Heechul?,”

Leeteuk’s gentle voice jolts Heechul out of the frozen daze he suddenly realised he had become wrapped in as he stared into Leeteuk’s lovely smiling eyes.

“Huh? Uh, thanks again for the gift, Teuk,” he says awkwardly to divert from his...slip up. Nervously, he chuckles and to his relief, Leeteuk joins in with that laugh that Heechul has come to enjoy so much.

\---

“Okay, Hyukjae, here’s the deal. I’m scared of water and so are you. We both have ocean’s pendants. So, I was thinking, how about you ask Donghae to...escort us? down there?,” comes Heechul’s loud and obnoxious voice over the phone. 

“Why can’t you just go with Teuk-hyung? He can take you down right?,” he says, not giving in to the commands. He hears Heechul emit noises that can be described as a hiss, a growl, a sigh, or anything in between.

“Aishh Hyukjae, it would just be convenient okay? Can you just let me come with you two next time you go down there?,” says Heechul, tone less imposing and slightly more pleading now.

“Well…,” says Hyukjae. He covers the microphone and turns to the Donghae sitting on his couch. “Hae-ah, Heechul-hyung wants to come with us next time we go down to your place. You willing to take us both?,” he says, smiling endearingly.

“Hmm? Of course! We can go whenever’s convenient for you two,” says Donghae before turning back to his sewing - attempt at sewing.

“Fine, hyung. Hae said we can go whenever works,” Hyukjae grumbles over the phone, earning a relieved laugh from the other end.

“Oh, thank you so much, you two. I’ll buy you dinner, promise. See you later!,” says Heechul, who then ends the call before Hyukjae can respond. Even so, he’s known Heechul for long enough to have picked up on the giddy excitement creeping its way into that voice.


	15. under the sea pt. 2

“Put this on, hyung,” Hyukjae says, handing Heechul the piece of equipment Leeteuk gave them.

“What is this?,” 

“A harness. To keep you from floating away,” responds Hyukjae. Heechul takes the harness, dipping a bit at its unexpected weight.

“Jesus fuck what? You sure it’s necessary?,” he says, incredulous at the bulkiness.

“Well, not for me because I can just hang on tightly toHae, but since he’s taking two passengers this time…,” says Hyukjae. Donghae smiles.

“Hyung, not to brag but I’m faster than you think. If you’re not held on tight, we’re gonna lose you within less than five minutes,” he says, taking his end of the harness. Heechul is reminded of the fact that he has never actually seen Donghae’s tail. Assuming they can get to where Donghae and Leeteuk live within an hour or two or even less, it would make sense that the speed is much more than Heechul imagined. Defeated, he sighs and clumsily attaches the clunky equipment to himself.

“Alright, you ready?,” asks Hyukjae, and Heechul nods, waddling to the edge of the water. “Oh, there’s a bit to attach your charm to the harness so it doesn’t fall off. Very important,” Hyukjae says, grinning and clutching his own charm while he holds onto Donghae with the other hand.

Finally, once everyone, especially Heechul, is ready for the journey, they walk out into the water where Donghae’s tail quickly returns. Once they’re far out enough, he dives down in one graceful movement, Hyukjae clinging tightly to him with arms secured around his waist and Heechul pulled along behind. Out of instinct, Heechul takes a deep breath and expects the normal feeling of water pressing in all around and suffocating him, but suddenly finds himself surrounded only by comfortable coolness, all usual negative underwater sensations gone. When he opens his eyes, they don’t sting like he expects them to, and when he tentatively tries to take a breath, he’s surprised to find that he can, despite already knowing he would be able to.

“Shit,” he lets slip, and hears Donghae and Hyukjae laugh.

“Cool, isn’t it, hyung?,” comes Hyukjae’s voice, and Heechul sees his smiling face looking back at him as Donghae continues swimming.

“Holy shit, we can talk?,” Heechul asks, reeling from the multiple surprises.

“Yeah! Teukie-hyung’s the best!,” says Donghae, and Heechul finally smiles, enjoying the journey as they go deeper and deeper under the vast ocean.

Before long, all sorts of vibrant sea life start to appear all around them. Schools of fish part like the Red Sea to make way for the merman and his companions, while larger creatures uncaringly swim by as they pass. Soon, they can see the sea floor and Heechul spots an octopus burying itself in the sand to wait for prey. He tries not to show his awe too obviously, but still has to take a deep breath and smile a bit at the strange and wonderful sites.

“Wait, wait, Hae,” Hyukjae suddenly pipes up. Donghae hums. 

“Can we take a small detour? We should show Heechul the corals!,” Hyukjae says excitedly. Donghae slows down a bit, turns to look at Heechul, and beams.

“Oh yeah! You’ll love it, hyung!,” he says, and quickly changes direction towards the reef. In a matter of minutes, they arrive and Heechul finds himself no longer able to hold his amazement.

“That’s the reef, hyung,” Donghae says proudly, as if it wasn’t obvious. “The ocean’s pretty nice too, yeah?”

“Holy shit…,” is all Heechul can say, making the lovebirds laugh once again. Before him was a site he’s only ever seen in pictures and through screens, which do not do its beauty justice at all. Myriads of coral and fish in all different colours, shapes, and sizes stretch out as far as the eye can see, looking like a vibrant and lively jungle straight out of some fairytale. They sometimes tell you about how great the ocean is with its endless sights, but never can they express just how incredible these natural monuments can get, Heechul thinks. The underwater jungle hosts more creatures than Heechul can imagine, but he can get a small taste of it all as he fascinatedly watches fish, crabs, and who-knows-what dart about in their own worlds. Smiling, Donghae slowly swims closer, bringing the other two with him.

“You can’t touch, but look all you want, hyung,” Donghae says softly, as he himself is also lost in awe despite the many, many times he’s seen coral reefs. Hyukjae is silent, finding words both inaccessible and unnecessary.

They spend at least half an hour on their little sightseeing tour, during which Donghae occasionally drops facts and small stories about something they would come across. Heechul listens to every word with great interest and curiosity, but his eyes never leave the view in front of him. All too soon, they turn around and begin to swim away from the reef, en route to their initial destination.

“You’d wanna tell Teuk-hyung about this later, Heechul-hyung,” Hyukjae says, and Heechul is brought back to Earth. 

“Shut up,” he says and rolls his eyes.

One silent period later in which Heechul let his mind wander wherever it pleased, Heechul, suddenly, with great concern, asks Donghae,

“Umm, Hae. There’s also danger down here, right? Like...creatures that hate us?,” he asks tentatively. Hyukjae freezes and tightens his grip on Donghae as the thought also hits him. Putting on hand over Hyukjae’s to comfort him, Donghae says,

“Don’t worry about it. They’re only down deeper. As long as you can still see light, you’re safe,” he explains. Heechul and Hyukjae let out a collective sigh of relief. 

Just then, as if on cue, everything around them darkens and in only an instant, Heechul and Hyukjae can see nothing but black in front of their eyes.

_ For the sake of image-preservation, the sounds which the dragon duo made in that moment will not be described in detail. _

Eventually, Donghae’s voice manages to cut through the screams and litany of curses.

“NONONO Don’t worry!,” he says. “It’s just a whale overhead,” he continues. Suddenly, everything brightens again and Heechul watches as the most massive tail he has ever seen calmly passes above them.

“Let’s go say hi!,” Donghae says, and swims towards the whale’s head. When they reach its eye-level, it seems to briefly acknowledge their presence before continuing on its merry way.

“Amazing creatures,” Donghae says, smiling widely. Thankfully, Heechul and Hyukjae’s hearts have calmed back down to their normal rates, and they mentally thank everything that the water perhaps hid the fact that they may have cried a bit.

Parting from the whale, they continue for no longer than fifteen minutes before they begin to see non-natural structures, indicating their arrival at the destination.

“We’re almost there, hyung. Let’s head to my place first because it’s closer. Then I’ll take you to Teuk-hyung’s,” Donghae says nonchalantly. Heechul does not recall telling Donghae of his intended destination.

They begin to weave through the buildings, passing the occasional distant merfolk who don’t seem to pay them any mind. Either that or Donghae is deliberately avoiding as many people as possible. The community is quite aesthetically pleasing, Heechul thinks. The buildings compliment the surroundings in pleasing shapes, with nothing sticking out in an overly artificial and sore way. Heechul would have quite liked the place if not for the cold and unwelcoming vibe it constantly gives off. 

Donghae’s house is situated in a nice suburb-equivalent area, among other spacious homes and various commodities. They approach one house in particular, and Donghae goes to unlock the simple, undecorated door. He barely finishes when they hear someone clear their throat behind them, at which point Donghae freezes.

“You brought  _ another _ one?!,” comes a displeased, stern voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for the massive delay. I haven’t abandoned this AU I promise (I love it so much TT). But I’m back now! And I will try to upload more regularly. Thank you for sticking around <33.

**Author's Note:**

> *Disclaimer*: All pairings and storyline in my fics are purely fictional and for fun and has nothing to do with the real life people mentioned. I support everyone’s real-life relationships and respect all their decisions and this is in no way a reflection of my opinion on their love life or wishes for it.
> 
> *This is just for fun* (support Heechul-Momo and Sungmin-Saeun + all other member love decisions 🎉)
> 
> @pinklittlecloud on twitter
> 
> Any thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc. much appreciated. As always, thank you for reading!


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